The Legend Of Zelda
by KiloWhiskeyOscar
Summary: In a ancient realm of myth and legend, a princess and a thief with nothing in common must put their differences aside to save their land from a power hungry warlord best on acquiring a legendary relic. Their only hope to save their land is to find the only weapon that can vanquish this grave threat in a quest that will test not only their resolve, but their trust in each other.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I've been considering this for a while now and I've decided to try my hand at a Legend of Zelda story. Certain characters, particularly Zelda and Link, will be characterized a bit differently but I'll try not to stray too far from their overall portrayal. Also, I'm going to try to present this story as an amalgamation of several of the games in the series so bear with me please.

Thanks to **Moon13Dreams** for editing.

No ownership here. Enjoy!

* * *

Prologue

_((Let me tell you story of how the world we call home first came to be..._

_Long ago, in the beginning of time, nothing existed of our world, but ash. There were no plant nor animals, not even the smallest of insect; the world was barren with the scars just being created. From the heaven descended the three golden goddesses who reached out to bless those lonely lands. Each goddess gave the lands their own gift._

_The first was Din, a powerful goddess garbed in red, who gave the lands ridges, hills, mountains, and volcanos that stretched far and wide to create the different planes that continued to make the land grow to where the edges became further than the eye could see. Then there was Nayru, the always wise and mindful goddess decorated in calming blue, created laws to govern the lands towards lasting eras of peace. The last, but never the least, was a free spirited, brave goddess shining with bright greens who went by the name of Farore and created all the different species in the land that would follow these laws created by her fellow goddess in the now floral, fauna world. Pleased with the beautiful and fertile world they created, the three goddesses returned to their home in the heavens that lied above._

_Even though these three goddesses never set foot on the land, their presence and influence would not be easily forgotten. When the goddesses departed, they left behind sacred artifact, one that took the shape of three triangles. Within this artifact the powers to stabilize this new realm and remind the inhabitants of their everlasting existence. This relic was eventually given a name by the inhabitants of the realm. This ancient relic would be know as the Triforce. The realm itself was also given a name by the inhabitants; they called their new lands Hyrule…))_

* * *

"…named after its dominate race, the Hylia," the woman concluded her tale as she draped a blanket over the tiny shoulders of her yawning daughter. The mother was a beautiful woman by the name of Vera, garbed in royal attire and with long, light brown hair strung in a tail hanging delicately over her shoulder. "That, my little Zelda, is how our world came to be and how we came to inhabit it."

The little girl, Zelda, looked up at her mother with bright crystal blue eyes. She was very young, no more than 8 years of age, but she was very beautiful, just as her mother had been. She had the same sparkle in her eyes as her mother had, which was loved by all around her; she even had similar light brown hair that was currently sprawled across the pillow on which her small head rest. "What happened to the goddesses after the returned to the heavens, Mother?"

Vera smiled at her daughter, as she brushed her child's bangs our of her eyes, "No one really know, my sweet; only that they left the Triforce behind when they departed."

"But where is the Triforce, Mother? I want to see it!" She yawned as her eyes began to grow heavy, fluttering as she struggled to stay awake.

"I'm not sure, my child; though it is said that anyone who manages to find the Triforce can have their deepest wishes granted... but that's a story for another time, my dear," Vera leaned down and kissed Zelda on his forehead. She smiled as she finally gave into her faltering consciousness, slowly closing her eyes; her mother tucked a lock of hair behind her child's ear with a soft, loving smile. "Sweet dreams, my little princess."

Just like that, young Zelda was gone to the world around her, lost in a world of wonder and magic that existed only in her sleep. Vera smiled down at her daughter for a moment before she quietly rose from the bed. She quietly walked toward the door on the other side of the room, turning back to bear one more glimpse of her daughter for the evening. Zelda turned to her side as she stirred in her dreams, resting comfortably within her blankets. It filled Vera with a strong sense of joy knowing that her daughter would be safe and sound. She left the bedroom, shutting the door gently behind her as silently as she could.

Outside of the bedroom, Vera was greeted by two other people. One was a tall man dressed in similarly elegant, royal attire as Vera, his head and beard hair having color filled with a graying brown. The other was a darker young woman dress in slightly ragged blue and white attire, her silvery hair tied behind her head.

The tall man approached Vera and through his arm around her, kissing her forehead before turning towards the other woman. "Thank you again for looking after Zelda, Impa."

The darker woman bowed to the tall man, "It was my pleasure as always, King Daphnes. May you and your family rest well on this night."

"Thank you, Impa. Rest well," Vera smiled. With a last bow, Impa walked off to rest for the night. Vera turned to her King, husband, and eternal love. "Our daughter is so inquisitive at such a young age."

"That she is, my Queen," Daphnes smiled back at her. "Reminds me of a very curious young woman I met once in my youth. How could I have known that she would become my wife and Queen?"

Luck." Vera leaned towards him and planted a strong kiss on Daphnes's lips. "You were lucky, and so was I." Then she kissed him once more.

All the while, in her bedroom, Zelda was sound asleep and dreaming of things that only a child could dream of. She never would've noticed the glowing image of a single triangle on her hand.

* * *

Something stirred the sleeping girl from her slumber and caused her to open her eyes. Something strange.

She urgently sat up from her bed and looked around her room while trying to adjust to the darkness that cloaked the night. Her auburn red hair was bit of a mess, but that was hardly an issue to her at the moment given the strange feeling that made her stomach churn. She knew she heard something, and not one of the animals in the ranch. This sound was unusual. She knew the sound, but never heard it in the night before. It was indeed familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was... or where it came from.

The noise occurred again, allowing her to pinpoint the subtle noise, figuring out it was coming from the kitchen a floor below. She cautiously stared at her bedroom door before starting to get out of bed in search of the source. She was careful to open her door as quietly as she could, looking around before stepping out and closing her door gingerly. When the girl was out of her room, she slowly inched down the hall, stopping at another door to press her head against it. It was her father's room and she didn't want to wake him when she knew he was going to be working very hard the next day. With a smile, she move away from the door when she heard the man on the other side snoring loudly. He was always a heavy sleeper, so she was hardly surprised that he didn't respond to the noises in the kitchen like she had.

Moving steadily onward, the girl quietly started down the wooden stairs to the lower floor. Once reaching the bottom, she picked up the nearest blunt object she could find. It was a cast iron pan, the only on they had. She had never used it before since her father was still slowly teaching her how to cook, so she soon found out that the object was much heavier than it looked. She soon traded the heavy iron skillet for a sharp cutting knife. She knew her father told her many times before not to touch it, but she rather hold that than the skillet.

She looked around the kitchen carefully, finding one of the windows open; a faint wind gusting through that caused the thin curtains to sway slowly back and forth. She sighed with relief before she saw several of the upper cabinets opened and swing lightly in the wind. That worried her; she knew the wind wasn't strong enough to cause something like that. The only other conclusion she could come up with was an intruder, and she didn't really like the thought of that. She had heard of stories where an intruder was a big burly miscreant that could make an example out of a child like her.

Then she heard something. A thump.

It came from behind the table in the middle of the kitchen and the girl braced herself, holding the knife in front of her defensively. She bravely stated, "C'mon on out where I can see you."

She hadn't the slightest idea what to expect, but something in her gut told her it was good; at least, better than a large, ugly man. For a few moments, nothing happened to indicate that the intruder heard her voice, but she didn't budge. Then she saw movement; a small set of fingers slowly crawling over the edge of the tabletop. She was trembling at the sight and saw another set of fingers appear beside the other set. Next, slowly and cautiously, the top of a head appeared between the fingers. For a while, it stopped only enough to see the top of his head and it was a long time before more of the head emerged. The girl saw a pair of scared eyes peering right back at her through dirty blonde hair. A bit more and it became clear to the girl that the intruder was a mere boy. He was about the same age as her and he appeared as if was just as frightened as she was.

The girl felt her grip on her weapon falter a bit as the boy revealed himself, slowly stepping out from behind the table. Even in the darkness of the night, he was clearly filthy. He was garbed in grungy clothing and blonde hair was very stringy as it barely covered his eyes. Besides his physical appearance, the girl could tell that he was shaking, but not seeming to be out of fear. She didn't need but a few seconds to conclude that his trembling was because he was cold, his clothing appearing to be very thin and worn out.

After another gust of wind swept through the room, he sneezed and fell down on his backside. The sneeze startled the girl as well and caused her to drop her weapon as she giggled, the knife barely avoiding her tiny bare feet. The boy frowned in chagrin.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" she started with a small smile, but stopped when she saw the boy shivering again. He looked as if he was going to topple over with the next gentle gust of wind. "Are you... are you okay?"

The boy stared at her for a moment before answering her with an involuntary stutter. "It's… it's cold."

The girl's thoughts were quick as she rushed back upstairs to her room, forgetting the fact that her father was still asleep in his room. She came back down as quick as she could with a bed sheet that was kept in the spare bedroom. The boy hadn't moved from where was sitting on the kitchen floor when she shuffled over to him, throwing the bed sheet around him. The boy was still shivering, but not nearly as badly as before. The girl huddled up a little closer to the boy to help him warm up, being careful not to give him the wrong impression. At this point, all the boy was to preoccupied with the thought of keeping warm than that there was a stranger huddling up beside him. The girl backed away, beginning to rub the boy's arms and shoulders rapidly, trying anything to warm him up.

"It's okay," she said softly. "You're going to be okay."

"I'm… sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't mean to break into your home. I was really hungry and freezing."

"It's okay. Look; we've got plenty of food here... warm blankets and clothes," the girl trailed off. "In fact, you don't have to steal any of it. You can stay here with me and my Papa if you want to."

The boy looked at the girl with wide eyes. She was looking right back at him with her green eyes, ones that made him recognize her to be very beautiful. The thought of her beauty ran through his head again before saying, "You're not going to throw me out?"

"I don't see why I should. My Papa and I can take care of you. You'll never have to run again," she said with a smile. "My name is Malon. What's your name?"

The boy was a bit taken aback at the kindness of this girl named Malon; it was the first time he had ever been shown such kindness. "Link," he replied. "My name is Link."

"It's nice to meet you, Link." Malon said, to which Link smiled. "Let's get you warmed up. In the morning, I'll introduce you to my Papa."

He nodded, smiling the widest smile he had smiled in a long time. While they talked to each other, a glowing triangle went unnoticed as it appeared on his left hand under the sheet he was that was wrapped around his tiny body.

* * *

In a far off desert stronghold, a singular individual sat alone in a chair shrouded in the shadow. He stood from the chair and sauntered to the window overlooking the desert that he called his kingdom. The full moon shined overhead, lighting the desert to show the swirling dust storm. The man was a hulking figure garbed in grim black and gold armor, a crimson red cloak rested over his shoulder that matched the color of his hair. He gazed indifferently out the window with his cold, yellow eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a gleam that seemed to be coming from below him. He looked to see that nn his right hand, a glowing triangle appeared. The man looked down at the triangle and then back out the window with a slight smirk.

He declared in his solitude, "So it begins…"

* * *

Author's Note: That puts the prologue in the books to start the story. I decided to keep it short and to the point as a means of introducing the main characters Zelda and Link. As I said, they'll be portrayed a bit differently but won't stray from normal. Out of all the characters featured in the prologue, the one called Vera is an original character not featured in the games. She was originally going to be called Midna but I didn't want there to be confusion.

By now, you might already know who the primary antagonist will be. (I like saying that for some reason.)

Again, thanks to **Moon13Dreams** for editing. Feedback would be most welcome and encouraged.


	2. A Day In The Life

Disclaimer: I guess I can understand no reviews so far but I have some followers, so that's something.

First official chapter is and ready, so enjoy. I owe nothing.

* * *

Chapter I

_(Ten years later…)_

The Royal City was considered the unofficial center of the land of Hyrule. Within its great walls, the people who lived there prospered. The Royal City was really only a part of Hyrule, for beyond its walls were many other vast part of the realm. There was Kakariko Village off to the east of the city, from which many of the city's visitors came. Beyond the village to the north was the massive but dormant Death Mountain, home to the Goron tribe. To the southeast of the city was Lake Hylia and further south was the Kokiri Forest. The mysterious Lost Woods were to the northwest of the Royal City where none ever go and off to the southwest was the Gerudo Valley, a vast range of hills that led into an equally vast desert. Not many people went that way and those who did, it was said, never return.

By and by however, the Royal City was the place everyone wanted to be. At the heart of the city was Hyrule Castle, the home of the Royal Family. King Dephnes rules with a benevolent hand and strong heart. That strength of character carried over to his now 18 year old daughter, Princess Zelda. Their shared bond pulled them through the hardest of times. Eight years prior, Queen Vera, the wife of Daphnes and mother of Zelda, passed away under mysterious circumstances. The official word was that she had taken her life, dropping from atop the castle to her death. The citizens across the city mourned the loss of such a beloved matriarch at the fabled Temple of Time. But they pressed on and the city prospered.

On the streets where the markets were located, the now teenage Link was busy grabbing a piece fruit from a vendor. Normally, a person would pay the vendor in Rupees, the primary currency of Hyrule. Link didn't have any Rupees but that didn't stop him from grabbing the fruit. While the vendor was preoccupied with a couple of the city guardsmen, Link managed to sneak a bite into the fruit. It had ripe taste to it. Link was watching the guardsmen as he chewed on the fruit. One of them was holding a strange looking mask that resembled a fox's face. Link turned around and his eyes met the eyes of a little child barely half his age. He was obviously hungry, so Link tossed the fruit to the kid and then with his finger over his mouth, urged the boy to keep quiet. The child's response was to take a bite out of the fruit.

The guardsmen were oblivious to the goings on, instead conversing about the mask. "What do you think, Tristan? Think my boy will like this mask for his birthday?"

"Not so sure a mask will make for a Happy Birthday present, Elias." said the guardsman named Tristan.

Tristan chuckled and said, "You only say that because you've yet have a child of your own. I pity you, my friend."

"As a matter of fact, my wife and I are working on our first child. Maybe they'll become friends in time…." said Elisa right before a teenage boy bumped right be him and rushed off. "Hey, watch where you're bloody going, kid," he shouted, to which the boy didn't respond and kept going. "It's a shame not all the children in this town are well behaved."

"No doubt about that," Tristan concurred and then noticed Elias frantically looking around his person. "What's wrong?"

"My pouch… my pouch is gone," Elias said. Then the realization struck him. "THE BOY!"

The two guardsmen frantically gave chase after the boy, who was in fact Link and who was already well ahead of them. He was faster than they were since they were wearing armor and he had nothing but the light clothes on his back. Plus, it turned out that he was quite agile. A person would normal have to cut and weave passed other patrons and the numerous market tents, like what the guardsmen were struggling to do. Link instead passed through the market tents by literally vaulting through them, startling the patrons and vendors like. Several patrons had to step aside when Link ran by them. Link then saw this big, burly fellow with a thick beard standing right in front of him and oblivious to what about to happen next.

He ducked down and slid right under, but he didn't go down far enough and inadvertently nailed the big bearded man in the… unmentionables. The man doubled over holding his suddenly aching tender bits and unwillingly blocked the advance of the guardsmen. Elias managed to get around first and continued the chase with Tristan close behind. Link was still faster than the guardsmen and he stayed on the most in spite of all the obstacles in his way. He vaulted first through a pair of markets, then again over a couple of patrons further ahead and then finally rushed passed a little girl and her dog. The guardsmen just couldn't gain any ground and it became worse when they reached the plaza. The plaza was crowded beyond belief and by the time the guardsmen got there, the thief was long gone. Frustrated, the guardsmen returned to their posts.

At the same time, Link made it through the crowded plaza to an archway and stopped to catch his breath. He held up the pouch and shook it lightly. Rupees jingled inside of the pound. Triumphantly, Link slung the pound over his shoulder and smirked. A split second later, the pouch was yanked right out of his hand. Link spun around and saw a teenage girl who was a foot shorter than him with long auburn hair down to her shoulders and wearing a milky white blouse, a long pink skirt and a yellow ascot. She was wearing a sly smirk on her face that quickly became a frown.

Link had to put on his very best dumb smile. "Morning, Malon." he said.

"Please don't go playing _Dumb _with me, Link. You stole another Rupee pouch from the guards again." Malon chastised Link while dangling the pouch in front of him.

"Stole another… Malon, I found that pouch the ground. The guard dropped and walked away. I was going to bring it back him," Link claimed even though it was painfully obvious to Malon that he was lying… again. "Can I have it back now?"

Malon yanked the pouch when Link tried to grab for and they were face to face. "You can't keep going around the town stealing from the guards, Link," she stated. "Sooner or later, they'll catch you and then what? Do you really want to rot away in a dungeon?"

"That won't happen." Link said and made another failed grab for the pouch.

"What if it does," Malon asked again in a very stern tone, and then she switched to softer tone. "Link, we've been friends for ten years. Ever since I convinced my father to take you in that night I found you, he treated you like you were his own son. And, I promised myself that I'd look after you. If you get caught and taken by the guards form something as… trivial as stealing…"

Link, already feeling like a fool, took Malon by the shoulders and said to her, "Okay, Malon, I get it. But the thing is I'm not stealing out of desperation," Link released Malon and leaned on the edge of the archway. "I'm bored with being a delivery boy and ranch hand for Lon Lon Ranch, no offense."

Malon approached Link and said, "No offense taken. I know working at the Ranch with me and my father isn't ideal, but it's honest work, and it's at least better than getting tossed into prison."

"I guess, but I still wouldn't mind some adventure no and then… Hey," Link turned just in time to catch Malon digging into the pouch and went to snatch it. Malon quickly pulled away. "Oh, so I can't steal but you can?"

"I'm only taking a blue Rupee; that's worth ten at least," Malon claimed. "The rest, you can return to the guards."

"Oh sure, I can definitely do that," Link then calmly reached for the pouch and then quickly snatched and bolted. "Later." He shouted.

"Hey…" Malon shouted back and chased after Link.

After leaving the archway, Link made his way through more of the plaza. It wasn't as crowded as before when the guards were chasing him. Malon was no guard and she was able to least keep up with Link as he ran past several groups of citizens. Most paid no mind to the teen as he rushed by them, follow closely by the girl. Malon wouldn't admit it, but she did have fun chasing Link around the town. Link had the same fun but he wasn't about to let Malon catch. This was a race he had every intention to win. He found a passage that led from the plaza into an alleyway and ran right through with Malon. Link glanced back periodically to see if Malon was still chasing him. Sure enough, she was keeping pace with him. That was what all that fresh air at the ranch did for her… and him.

After a couple minutes of running from the alley and passing by some pedestrians, Link managed to reach the end into another part of the main plaza. There were several stores and houses here and a fountain in the center. To the far left from Link entered stood the fabled Temple of Time. Link wasn't much of a churchgoer but the distraction cost him. No sooner had he refocus on escaping, Link hit something and fell down on him back side, dropping the pouch to the ground next to him.

The collision knocked Link for a loop and wasn't sure what he hit. At first, he thought he hit a wall. But as soon as his eyes refocused, Link saw that he'd actually run straight into a horse. A big, menacing looking black stallion encrusted with gold and crimson armor. But it wasn't the stallion that intimidated Link; it was the rider. He was an absolutely huge man in dark attire, wearing black and gold armor and chainmail and a crimson red cloak that match his hair. His skin was a bronzed shade and his eyes were a sickly yellow. Those eyes were trainer directly on Link and filled with contempt. Link was frozen in place when Malon arrived at his side. She too was frozen by the stare of the intimidating rider.

The rider then simply rode away from the two kids and up the lane that led straight to Hyrule Castle. The many citizens within the plaza all either bowed their heads in silence or back away in intimidation. The rider paid them no mind and simply went on his way to the castle. Link and Malon were still frozen in place and shaking in fear. The mere presence of the man distracted the two children from the presence of his female companion who was riding a brown horse. Like the man, she also bore bronzed skin and long scarlet hair tied behind her back. She was garbed in a white top and loose fitting pants. She also had on a gold necklace and gold arm braces. Unlike the man, she paid no mind to Link or Malon and rode along toward the castle with him.

Link was still shell shocked when Malon said to him, "Link, are you okay," Link didn't answer and Malon again said, "Link, talk to me."

Link eventually snapped back to reality. "I'm okay, I think. That man… I feel like I've seen him before."

Malon became a little confused when Link said that. "Before? Where?"

Link had no answer.

* * *

Hyrule Castle was by far the most exquisite and beautiful area in all of the Royal City. Its outer walls were marble and its many stain glass windows gleamed in the sunlight. By the decree of King Daphnes, the citizens of the Royal City were allowed inside if they sought an audience with him. Of course, any stragglers or loiters were sent away by the castle guard. This was a castle after all. There was absolutely no sense, rhyme or reason to have an unruly guest within the castle walls. But the castle had a special guest on this day; Ganondorf of Gerudo Valley. The guards at the door allowed him to enter without any trouble. He was accompanied by the young woman with the same dark complexion as his own.

She didn't like being in the castle, the reason being that she preferred the open air of Gerudo Valley. Ganondorf was indifferent of his surroundings as he was there on business. One of the many guards escorted him and his companion to the throne room. It was a very large, wide open room with ornate marble walls and decorated banners with Royal Family crest adorning them. At the far end of the throne room sat King Daphnes himself. He was listening to a citizen about some random issue before the citizen took his leave. He passed by Ganondorf and was immediately intimidated before rushing off, which Ganondorf found amusing.

"Clearly, your hospitality hasn't change over the years, Daphnes." he said aloud, drawing the King from his chair.

"Ganondorf," he said and greeted Ganondorf with a strong handshake and dull pats to their shoulders. "It's been an age, and the years have been kind to you."

"A pity the same cannot be said of you," Ganondorf exclaimed. "But it's good to see you again, my old friend."

"And you," Daphnes said before looking to the woman. "Who is your companion?"

"This is Nabooru of the Gerudo Tribe of which I am chief. You'll have to excuse her silence, though; she isn't much of a conversationalist." Ganondorf explained.

"So I noticed," Daphnes said while overlooking the woman. "Anyway, I've hoped to speak to you regarding tomorrow night's banquet."

"Yes," Ganondorf exclaimed. "I'm aware that you've sent invitations to all corners of Hyrule, from the Gorons on Death Mountain to Zora's Domain beneath Hylia Lake."

"Unfortunately, the Goron and Zora tribes have declined their respective invitation, which doesn't bode well for future cooperation and lasting peace." Daphnes stated with marked regret.

"Seems understandable," Ganondorf said. "I've often believed those tribes to somewhat savage in spite of what other world travelers claim."

"Nevertheless, I still hold out for the possibility of peace with the tribe," Daphnes exclaimed. "It is naïve, I know, but it's something that Vera pushed for so long before she…" Daphnes trailed.

"I understand, my friend. Vera's tragic passing is still felt throughout Hyrule to this day. That it was an apparent suicide is heart wrenching enough. I can only hope that her legacy lives on through her daughter," Ganondorf stated. "Speaking of which, where is the Princess at this time?"

* * *

A single arrow struck the target within the red area, close to the center but still a ways off. Standing across the target with a bow in one hand and new arrow in the other, Princess Zelda prepared to shoot her overall fourth arrow. Now a teenager at eighteen, Zelda had naturally grown more beautiful. In fact it was said by some that she was the spitting image of her late mother. Her long, light brown hair was tied behind her hind and she was currently wearing light blue and white attire. It was similar to the Shiekah Tribe from which her caretaker Impa was a member. Impa was standing beside Zelda as she was about to take the shout and had been a surrogate mother to Zelda since Queen Vera's death.

Aiming extra carefully, keeping the target in view and right herself accordingly. Then she let loose. The arrow struck the space right between her last arrow and the center of the target. She was getting closer to hitting the center of the target. Zelda didn't allow herself to get frustrated as she pulled another arrow from her quiver. Impa stepped to the other side of Zelda and watched her closely. Zelda paid no mind, instead focusing solely on the target. Then she let the arrow fly, directly into the very center of the target. Impa had a slight smirk on her face and put a hand on Zelda's shoulder.

"Excellent shot, Zelda." she commended.

"It's only because of you training, Impa." Zelda responded.

"I can't take all the credit, Princess, but your modesty is most welcome regardless." Impa said as Zelda handed her the bow.

The sound of clapping hands alerted Zelda and Impa toward the entrance to the courtyard, and Ganondorf was there. "Modesty is not a trait that resonates within the Royal Family, but I must you show it better than anyone, Princess Zelda."

Zelda was already feeling sick to her stomach as the Gerudo King approached. "King Ganondorf," she said while turning away from seeing him. "I was already made aware of you arrival to my home this morning. Your foul stench is still an unwelcome aspect."

"Charming, just like your mother, bless her soul," Ganondorf said while sauntering to the target. He traced his index and middle fingers across one of the arrow and stated, "I see your archery skills have improved; no doubt the influence of Impa and her own Shiekah training. By the way," Ganondorf addressed Impa directly. "How have you been, Impa?"

Impa slowly pulled a metal dart from her belt. "All the better without you, Ganondorf," she said. Then she noticed Nabooru standing at the edge of the courtyard. She was on the verge of unsheathing a curved sword. "I see you have a new plaything from the desert."

"Nabooru is but a bodyguard for me as you are one for the Princess, nothing more. Still," Ganondorf tried to touch Impa's face. "It's a shame that you and I never an item as I'd hoped."

Impa slapped Ganondorf's hand away, prompting Nabooru to draw her sword, but Ganondorf stopped her. "For which I am grateful to the gods, Ganondorf."

"Is there any particular reason that you're here, Ganondorf?" Zelda snapped.

"This is simply a Meet & Greet, Princess, nothing more than that," Ganondorf stated. "I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other at tomorrow night's banquet."

"I find it rather interesting that the King, my father, would ever even consider having a malevolent lout like you at a banquet within his home, my home. The fact that he even considers you friend makes me ill."

"Even after all these years, you continue to judge me, Zelda," Ganondorf said. "Am I not any from the Gorons or the Zora, both tribes of whom refused to attend the banquet for one reason or another?"

"I'd prefer the Gorons or the Zora in place of you, who comes from a tribe of bandits who coincidently are all woman." Zelda snapped. "At least the Gorons and Zora understand honor, unlike you."

"You question my understanding of honor? How adorable," Ganondorf mockingly said before he started to walk back toward the courtyard exit with Nabooru in tow. Without turning back, he said, "I look forward to our conversion tomorrow evening. They should be most amusing." With that, Ganondorf was gone.

Zelda felt as if her skin was crawling all the time that Ganondorf was present. Impa was feeling the same way only because once upon a time, she and Ganondorf were lovers. The thought of it made her sick and made her wish he stayed in the Gerudo Valley. Zelda was feeling ill for a different reason; lately, she'd been having nightmares. The nightmares were of an evil man who then morphed into a monster. She believed that man/monster to be Ganondorf but her father was unconvinced. Impa on the other hand believed Zelda. That was main reason for the archery training as well other forms of combat. Zelda was hoping she wouldn't need it, but she had a feeling that something was going to happen; something very bad.

* * *

Author's note: That's it for the first official chapter (not counting the prologue) which introduces teenage Zelda, Link and Malon with some modified characteristic. Link is portrayed as kind of a thief here with Malon being a little more of a sensible character. I'm also intending to portray Zelda as a little more of a warrior.

Then there's the introduction of Ganondorf, who is portrayed as a former friend of Daphnes and is hinted as having been Impa's lover at one point. The appearance of Nabooru was meant to indicate Ganondorf's association with the Gerudo.

So, what do you think? Send some feedback.


	3. Dreams Of Shadows

Disclaimer: Well I've good news and bad news; the good news I've gotten my first review. The bad news it's only one review. Either way, it's a start.

Next chapter begins right now.

* * *

Chapter II

Link was sitting on a small hilltop ahead of the main gate to Hyrule Castle. He could see a pair of guards at the gate pacing back and forth while several more of them patrolled the field around the castle itself. Getting on that hilltop was against his better judgment; the presence of the tall, intimidating man from earlier piqued his interest. Malon had accompanied Link to the hilltop if only to keep him out of trouble for whatever good it did. While Link was looking all the way toward the front entrance of the castle and seeing some movement, Malon was watching sky. The passing clouds and setting sun were an indication that the day was coming to an end.

"It's getting late, Link," she said. "I want to get back to the ranch soon; you know how the fields get at night," Malon waited for a response but Link was oddly silent. "Are you listening to me, Link?"

"Have you ever wondered what the Royal Family might be hiding in that castle; in terms of treasure and whatnot?" Link asked, clearly not paying any attention to Malon.

"What're you talking about," Malon said and then saw the look in Link's eyes. "Oh no, no, no, no, no, no! Link, I know that look."

"What? You've got to admit it's curious as to how that family got so wealthy," Link exclaimed. "I just saying, there isn't any real harm in, you know, sneaking in and finding for ourselves, now is there?"

"Link, that's Hyrule Castle. It's more heavily guarded than the Lost Woods are lost. If any of the guard or, Goddess's forbid, the King himself find you, you'll be spending the rest of your life in dungeon surrounded by rats," Malon said and cringed at the mere mention of the word, "Ugh, rats."

Link at least found it amusing that Malon was petrified of rats. "Okay, Malon. You don't have to go inside. I'll do it myself." he quipped.

"You shouldn't do it at all," Malon snapped. "Seriously Link, you can't go around stealing all time just because it's fun. What happens if it gets dangerous? What would you do then," Malon asked. Link was silent and Malon continued. "You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you."

Link just stood there rubbing the back of his neck before replying, "I know, Malon, and you're right. I just…," Link trailed off for a moment before continuing. "I've just got this feeling that I'm meant for something more than a simply ranch hand; something important."

Malon was taken aback a bit by Link's words but she wasn't sure of what to say to him. "C'mon, Link. Let's go home before it gets dark."

Malon was the first to climb down the hilltop using a wall of vines. It led down to the road that in turn led to the main gate. Link was slow to follow. He was contemplating his words to Malon, about feeling like he was meant for more. He didn't really think to tell her about those dreams he'd been having lately. They were of him and another girl, of dark storm clouds, thunder and lightning and sometimes, even fire. Link just had that feeling that something was going to happen and that he'd be involved somehow.

He put it behind for now and started off after Malon but before he went down the wall of vines, Link caught site of someone at the castle's front entrance. Two people actually. Both of them Link recognized as the intimidating man from earlier and his female companion if she could be called that. The man suddenly looked in Link's direction and Link suddenly froze in place. Did the man see him? It sure felt like it, because Link felt paralyzed. He couldn't move a muscle before Malon reappeared and touch his shoulder. Link looked to her briefly and looked back toward front entrance. The man was gone, and Malon motioned Link from the hilltop and back to the city plaza. Link took a final look at the castle before departing.

* * *

Later that afternoon at Lon Lon Ranch, Link was in the horse stables tending to Epona, the favorite horse of his and Malon. Epona had a light brown color with a silvery white streak going down her face and was easily the kindest and gentlest of the horses, although she did have that annoying tendency to bit into Link's hair or whip her white tail into his face. There were also those times that when Link tried to ride Epona, she'd rear back and send him to the ground much to Malon's amusement. In response to those mishaps, Malon played a special song for Epona to calm her. She taught the tune to Link so he could better handle Epona and so far, there were some mixed results.

Link heard a bell from the ranch house, which usually mean that dinner was served courtesy of Talon, the somewhat lazy but well-meaning father of Malon. Finishing up with Epona, who was trying to chew on his hair again, Link exited the stable and started for the house. He stopped at the faint sound of singing in the fenced-in field where the horses were usually allowed to gallop. Malon was out in the middle of the field singing Epona's song. Link decided to listen for a while. The way Malon sung the song was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever heard. It made him crack a smile as he listened to the sound of her voice, but the sound the dinner bell soured it for both them.

Talon exited from the house. He was burly fellow with a thick mustache and wore a red shirt under blue overalls. Most of his time was spent sleeping and being lazy. Despite his shortcomings, Talon was a kindhearted sort and a loving father. It was Malon who convinced Talon to take Link into their household and he welcomed the young lad with open arms. Plus, Talon was quite the chef. His meals would never the kind that the Royal Family usually had, but there was a certain heart and soul put into the effort.

"Malon, Link, Supper's ready. Come and get it." he bellowed. Then he disappeared back into the house.

Link stayed where he was standing while Malon jogged toward him. "You okay, Link?" she said.

"Yeah, just thinking about the night we first met," Link said. "It's hard to believe it's been ten years."

"Yeah! I still remember almost whacking you in the head," Malon laughed, to which Link amusingly smiled. "We've had some good memories. I'll see you inside." Malon then rushed back to the house.

Link again was reluctant to follow Malon. He stayed put by the fencing and looked up at the sky. The full moon was well overhead and the sky was filled with the gleam of the stars. It made him think about his place in the world, his place in life. His thinking was suddenly interrupted by a strange grumbling sound and he realized it was just his stomach. Taking one last look at the stars, Link started toward the house.

As soon as he was inside, he could smell the aroma of freshly cut vegetables from the garden. It was the great courtesy of Talon. When he wasn't snoring half the day away, Talon was an excellent chef. Link remembered the first time Talon cooked for him when Malon convinced her father to take in the then-homeless boy. Link was grateful then as he was now. Malon was sitting opposite of the supper table from Link while Talon sat at the center. He was rubbing his burly hands ready to feast on the table. Malon and Link exchanged amused looks at each other before Talon spoke out.

"So, how was the trip to the Royal City today, kid?" he asked.

Link and Malon both tried to think of a decent answer without giving away too much. Link eventually said, "It was fine, nothing really noteworthy."

"We both got to see the sights, see what was so special about the city." Malon added, but she was being careful not to talk about Link's shenanigans with the guards or the man in black armor.

"Well, I hope you both get a good night's sleep. I know I will," Talon said cheerfully. "Tomorrow, we're all going to Hyrule Castle." Link and Malon each exchanged befuddled looks as Talon continued. "Well, we're not really invited to the banquet, mind you. See, I've agreed to have three of us available for clean up duty after the banquet."

Upon hearing the most unwelcome news, Link and Malon both exasperatedly shouted, "Clean up duty?"

* * *

In her living chambers, which was decorated with the finest ornate furniture, Princess Zelda was busy combing her long hair with a soft brush. She was dressed in a sleeping gown that was light blue, her favorite color. The vanity mirror and dresser where she sat was situated right next to the open windowsill. Zelda would look out the window now and again and contemplate on things. As she was doing so at that very moment, a knock came from her door and King Daphnes entered the room. Zelda didn't attempt to shoo him away.

"Everything alright, Zelda?" he asked.

"I'm fine, father, although I' still feel uneasy about Ganondorf having been here today," Zelda admitted. "I'm even more uneasy about his invitation to the banquet tomorrow."

"The banquet is being held as a means to achieve lasting peace throughout all of Hyrule. Ganondorf's participation is essential to the achievement of that goal." Daphnes explained.

"I don't trust him, father," Zelda stated when she turned to him. "Ganondorf comes from a tribe of thieves. This could be a ploy on his part to cause a very serious situation."

The King was a bit on the frustrated side but it just wasn't in him to call his own daughter out on her supposed suspicions. "Zelda," he said. "There is still a great deal of lingering animosity between some of the other tribes. The Gorons in particular still consider themselves superior to our family as a whole. Their issues have carried over to the Zora and because of it, neither tribe wishes to participate."

"But Ganondorf, father…" Zelda said.

"Ganondorf sees the potential of this banquet," Daphnes continued on. "And, it's my belief that his hand participation to inspire the rest of Hyrule to seek ever-lasting peace. Plus, well, he is my…"

"…Your old friend, I know," Zelda said and immediately regretted interrupting her father. "That was uncalled for, father. I'm sorry. But I hardly think Ganondorf is the type of person who can inspire piece. That's only my opinion, of course."

Daphnes smiled at his daughter and touch the side of her face. "You are every bit like your mother, Zelda. You're passionate, opinionated but also strong willed. I believe you will make an excellent Queen one day."

With a gentle kiss to Zelda's forehead, Daphnes took his leave. Zelda continued to brush her hair but she also watched and waited for her father to close the door on his way out. When he did and she was alone, Zelda placed her brush on the dresser and went into deep thought. She then stood up and walked to the window where she gazed up at the night sky. There was a slight, cool breeze while whipped a small bit of her hair back. Zelda closed her eyes and imagined herself flying over all of Hyrule. She was free.

Then she imaged something else; she imagined her mother reaching out to her, calling to her. Then she was gone; taken from her. It was still widely believe throughout the city that Queen Vera had taken her own life. But Zelda believed otherwise that her mother was murdered. She just could find proof of it. Zelda suspected that her father also believed as she did, but there was no proof. Zelda's eyes shot open and she realized that she dangerously close to the edge so she stepped back and gathered herself. Spent, Zelda went into her bed and laid there. An hour later, she was sound asleep.

* * *

_((Dark storm clouds hung over him and bolts of lightning lit the sky. He was running, running desperately for his life. He was alone, but he was not. The Great Beast was chasing after him across the field, always keeping pace and always finding him. He looked back at the beast as he ran; it was massive and grotesque like some wild boar with great horns that could asunder anything in its path. So he was forced to continue running as the beast continued its pursuit of him._

_At the exact same time, she also was running for her life from the Great Beast. She could smell its rancid breath as it chased her across the field. Lightning struck the field as she ran for dear life, while the beast stayed on her and never relented for a moment. She looked back at the beast and barely made out the great horns. It was then at that very moment that she suddenly encountered another._

_He never expected to see her and didn't care to know why she was here. Instead he ran passed her, while she equally ran right by him. They paid no mind to each other at all but they were then instantly back to back. The Great Beast that had been chasing him was no facing her, and it was vice versa for him as well. Then they were cornered by it, by two of it. Then two became four and four became eight. The Great Beasts surrounded their prey, snorting and snarling._

_He and she were surrounded with nowhere to run. The Great Beasts didn't make any immediate moves. They simply stared at the prey with sickly, glowing yellow eyes. They produced menacingly jagged teeth from the mouth while mucus ran down their collective snots. They all seemed to be stalking the two helpless victims and doing so as one. Lightning lit the sky briefly and in that moment, seven of the eight Great Beasts vanished leaving only one. Then the other Great Beasts reappeared in the darkness, their yellow eyes still fixed on their prey._

_The boy and the girl couldn't find a way out and any time that they did, the Great Beasts stopped them cold. Then came another moment when another lightning strike lit the cloudy sky, and the Great Beasts vanished save for one. That lone monster briefly became a man in dark attire, but with the same yellow eyes as the Great Beasts. The creature and its counterparts reappeared once again and then, simultaneously, they pounced. The rest was silence.))_

* * *

Link sat up in his bed, sweating and breathing heavily. It was that dream again, the one he'd yet to tell Malon about. It wasn't the first time that Link had such a vivid and terrifying dream… no, it wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. Link remembered the dark clouds and the lightning strikes. He remembered the creature that was chasing him, trying to kill him even. But there was something else this time, something different. Link saw a girl being chased by the exact same creature. At first he though it to be Malon but the notion was quashed before it was even considered. Link brushed his hand through his hair in frustration.

_Why,_ he thought to himself. _Why am I having these nightmares?_

Link never considered the fact that he wasn't the only one having the nightmares.

* * *

Zelda was sitting up in her own bed seemingly weeping and shaking in fear. She wasn't really weeping but breathing heavily. She could practically feel her own heart racing and beating so fast that she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. She couldn't even move. She just sat there, her arms wrapped around her legs and her knees up to her chin. She was in tears when she experienced that nightmare again. The image of the creature that was chasing her relentlessly among the dark clouds and lightning frightened her. But there was something else; a boy was also being chased by the same creature. Zelda wracked her mind to figure out exactly who this mysterious boy was but she had nothing at all.

_What is the meaning behind these nightmares,_ she thought to herself. _Wait; what if they're not nightmares, but visions?_

* * *

Author's note: Okay, that chapter was pretty short for what it was. But the story is still in the early stages, so I would suggest that you stay tuned for the next chapter. This chapter featured the first appearances of Talon and Epona, the latter of which will play an important role.

Link and Zelda having the exact same dream at the same time was inspired a bit by the dream sequence in Ocarina of Time. It also contained a brief glimpse of Ganon (I call him the Great Beast) for added effect.

How am I doing so far?


	4. The Banquet and the Siege: Pt I

Disclaimer: I'm lacking in clever quips at the moment, probably because it's Valentine's Day. I hate Valentine's Day.

No ownership here.

* * *

Chapter III

The day of the banquet at Hyrule Castle was already well underway, with King Daphnes presiding. Guest from almost all over Hyrule had come after they had been invited by the King himself. The exceptions had been the aquatic Zora and the cave dwelling Goron tribes. The cheeriest of music was being played in the background by the city orchestra and the main hall was filled with guests. Daphnes was closely guarded by Impa due to Princess Zelda having yet to arrive for the banquet. Impa herself suggested that the Princess wasn't properly dressed and was likely still in her bedroom. The King was also searching around for Ganondorf, who apparently had also yet to arrive.

Eventually, Princess Zelda herself arrived. She was dressed in a radiantly decorated white and lavender gown with matching arm sleeves. She was also wearing a set of gold braces on her shoulder as well as tiara on her head. A pair of finely groomed pony tail were slug over each shoulder while the hair of her hair was combed behind her. By and by, Zelda could practically be the object of desire for every man in the hall. Many of them were practically swooning over her, and Zelda took to ignoring them as she approached her father, who was speaking to a man who was clearly from far away.

"Ah, here she is at last," Daphnes said with a smile and embraced his daughter. "I was worried you arrive in time, Zelda."

"My apologies, father. Finding the right outfit for this banquet was more difficult than I'd hoped." Zelda exclaimed.

Daphnes smiled and turned to the man he'd been speaking with. The man was adorned oddly enough in a mostly feathered ensemble. His bushy eyebrows and slightly pointed nose made him appear like a wise owl. "Kaepora, I trust you remember my daughter Princess Zelda, yes."

"Of course," Kaepora cheerfully exclaimed. "It is a pleasure to see you again, my dear. By the goddesses, you look as radiant as your mother did so long ago."

"It's good to see you as well, Kaepora," Zelda replied. "How have you been since we last met?"

"Quite active as you can see," Kaepora said while display his ensemble but somewhat gaudy-looking attire. "I've spent deal traveling from place to place, seeing the many vistas beyond Hyrule. One such land is called Termina. A beautiful land to be sure, although the moon often seemed a bit closer than normal."

Zelda was only mildly interested in Kaepora's words. "That sounds quite interesting. If you'll excuse me…"

Zelda quickly walked away from Daphnes and Kaepora and wandered about the hall. There were so many guests around that it was pain to maneuver around them. Zelda was jokingly contemplating asking Impa to cut a path through them. At least the cheerful music kept her from going crazy. She hated these sorts of gatherings since the death of her mother, which Zelda still had trouble believing to have been suicide. Zelda decided to focus on something a little more cheery and not some depressing, like the long table that was loaded to the brim with all sorts of eatery.

Much of the delicacies came from the townsfolk while some more came from Kakariko Village. Zelda didn't allow herself to salivate over all of it. She did take a small crumpet from a plate and took a tiny bite out of it. It tasted a pinch stale but she wasn't going to judge whoever made it. It was likely something the castle chefs made. Out of the courtesy with which she was raised, Zelda finished the crumpet in small but wholesome bites until it was gone. She'd have to wash the stale taste from her mouth.

"I hate these get-togethers," said a cold voice, and Zelda realized that it belong to Ganondorf. He was standing right behind her like a dark shadow. "They're ever so sickeningly dull, aren't they?"

Zelda swallowed hard and replied, "I see you've finally arrived out of that lifeless desert you call home, Ganondorf." She turned to face him.

"Still charming as ever," Ganondorf said with a sly grin. "I have to say you look ravishing in that gown, Princess. Just like your late mother."

Zelda was already feeling ill with the Gerudo chief so close to her. "Yes," she said. "Well, some children do tend to take after their parents. Others go their own way and choose their own path," Zelda looked around the hall for a moment before saying, "I'm surprised your little bodyguard hasn't accompanied you."

"Nabooru has never been much for banquets, and I don't need her to shadow me all the time," Ganondorf said and then inched closer to Zelda. "Besides," he said. "I was hoping for a brief one-on-one with you."

That was the final straw for the Princess as she pulled away from the Gerudo chief. "It will have to be another time, Ganondorf. I suddenly feel quite ill so I'll bid you farewell." Then she quickly stormed off through the guests.

"Must you really depart, Princess," Ganondorf said aloud. "You're going to miss the festivities; I'm sure they'll be rather entertaining."

Zelda stopped for a brief second to contemplate the words of Ganondorf. Ganondorf, who was still smirking toward the Princess behind her back, suddenly turned and sauntered away when Zelda turned. She watched him saunter off as if nothing happened. Her first impulse above all else was to speak to her father. Her first words to him would be that Ganondorf wasn't as he seemed. But there was a problem; Ganondorf was already meeting with Daphnes. If she tried to say anything about Ganondorf, Daphnes would likely dismiss it and Ganondorf would deny it. Left with no choice, Zelda retreated from the banquet on her way back to her chambers. She knew now that something was wrong.

* * *

Link felt like he was wronged in some way. There he was with Malon and Talon and a bunch of lower-mid level individuals in the lower levels of the castle, just sitting around doing nothing while the banquet was underway upstairs. This was all Talon's idea when he told the kids about the supposed clean-up duty they'd be tasked with when the banquet. Unfortunately, as Link believed, a banquet like the one he was missing was sure to go on until well into the very late evening. Maybe even into the next morning, he thought. Link spent the past 15 to 20 minutes looking up the only staircase leading to the upper floor, with a pair of castle guards at the bottom. They were frequently denying access to the upper floor to several people at once.

Rolling his eyes Link returned to Malon and Talon, the latter of whom was napping again. Malon was humming Epona's song to herself when Link approached. "I cannot believe there's a banquet going on up there while we're down here doing nothing but waiting," he said, but Malon just ignored his griping. "Malon, aren't you even a little bit annoyed? Are you even listening?"

Malon stopped humming and said, "I am listening but there's nothing that we can do. We weren't invited to the banquet and the guards aren't going to let anyone up from down here. All we can do is sit back and wait until it's over."

"Ugh but I'm so bored just waiting down here." Link whined although Malon just ignored him.

Frustrated, Link looked back at the bottom of the stairs where the guards were stationed. Then he heard a faint sound coming from an unscrupulous looking sort. He appeared old with a graying beard, a balding head and bushy eye brows and he was waving Link over to him. Link usually knew better than to talk to strangers, but something about this character just seemed to resonate with him. Against his better judgment, Link approached the old man.

"Name's Gaebora, lad," he whispered. "You lookin' to get upstairs to the banquet, are ya?"

Link wasn't sure what to make of this fellow. "Are you talking to me?"

"Ain't no one else nearby," said Gaebora, looking around and then added, "I can distract the guards; you can sneak upstairs. They'll never the wiser."

"Somehow, I know this is going to end badly." Link muttered.

What 'cha got to lose, lad," The Gaebora got up and grabbed a nearby stick that he was likely using for walking. He stumbled over to the guards and shouted, "Hey you young fellas. 'Mere; I wanna ask you something.

"Sir, we'll have to ask you to step back from the staircase." one of the guards said.

"Don't presume to boss me around, you young welp," Gaebora snapped. "I was fighin' in the greatest battles while you were still in your mother's womb."

The guards weren't the least bit sure of what to make of the seemingly crazy old man. He didn't let up from there. He went on a verbal tirade that drew the attention of the other people in the room, including Malon. Talon was still napping nearby. As all of this was going on, Link quietly and carefully went up the staircase. Gaebora was still distracting and berating the guards, apparently getting angrier over time. Link reached the top of the staircase where he was confronted by the door. He opened it and, after taking one last look at display by Gaebora, snuck through the door. The people continued to watch the old man's tirade with amusement. Even Malon was starting to crack a smile… until she realized that Link was nowhere in sight.

"Link," she said and then looked up at the top of the staircase. "He didn't…"

* * *

The banquet was still going on for what seemed like hours, though it was about an hour and a half at the most. The many guests busied themselves with nothing more than idle chatter about random things that no one cared about at all. Link managed to peak his head out and he looked around at all of the people in the hall. Every last one of them seemed to wearing all formal wear, while he was wearing the clothes he probably slept in the night before. Well, he made it up to the upper floor, so the question was; Now what?

The first thing on his mind was to get at the table with the abundance of food, but there were a few too many people between him and it. Plus, there were other guards patrolling around the hall. Link caught sight of a woman with silvery white hair and wearing blue and white clothing standing close to a man in royal garments. Link assumed that was the King himself and the woman was his bodyguard or his mistress; maybe both. Sneaking around the hall between the pillars, Link was inching closer to the table while skillfully avoiding the guards. Then he saw the man in black armor again and he froze in place.

The man in black armor turned toward where Link was standing, but he wasn't there. Link slipped right back behind the nearby pillar miniscule seconds before he was spotted. But the man only sneered, because somehow he knew Link was there. Link was trembling in his boots. His eyes were darting back and forth looking for a way out of the hall. He spotted an exit but was too afraid to make a move. The man in black armor was starting to inch closer to the pillar when one of the guests, a large woman in a yellow gown, stepped in his way. When she moved on, the man continued his advance on the pillar and one he got there, the boy was gone.

Link managed to slip away into another hall of the castle. It was just like much of the rest of castle, with a series of very decorative pieces hanging about the walls. Link wondered through the hall he was in while taking an account of the décor. Much of it was comprised of portraits of the Royal Family, many of which displayed the monarchs that came before the current King and his family. Link stopped at a portrait of a beautiful woman. He realized the woman was the late Queen Vera and at her side was the then-young Princess Zelda. Link had never met either of them.

He continued to wonder around the castle, not having the slightest idea of what he was really looking for. He was starting to think coming up to the upper floor was a bad choice. Link then came to a sudden stop at a large spiral staircase. It led up to the next floor and Link gazed around. There were no guards approaching, but Link was feeling reluctant to go up the stairs.

"You came this far, Link." he said to himself.

Then with one foot on the first step, Link started climbing up the staircase. Then he heard chatter from the far end of the hall and realized that a pair of guards were in fact approaching. Panicked, Link bolted up the stairs to the next floor, but his footsteps alerted the guards. With no choice, Link kept racing up until he was on the next floor. The guards were in pursuit of what they assumed to be a strange. Link was confronted with several doors on the upper floor and he was frantically trying to open them one after another. Eventually finding an unlocked door, Link slipped inside and shut the door just seconds before the guards could spot him.

Link though he was in the clear until he realized he had just entered the chamber of Princess Zelda without realizing it. He saw that it was decorated much like the halls of the castle, with a large bed and a dresser with a vanity mirror. Link could hear the guards approaching and knowing they likely find, headed for the windowsill. He threw it open and stopped dead when he saw just how far up he was from ground level. There was no way he could possibly get down from the window to the ground without killing himself. Then it got so much worse for Link when he heard a female voice in the next room.

"Impa, is that you?"

Now panicked beyond measure, Link frantically tried to figure out what to do. There was only one thing he could do; hide. Where could he hide? The windowsill was obviously out of the question and he couldn't hide in the closet. Link decided the only place he could hide was under the bed, so he quickly crawled under it. Princess Zelda came out of the other room in her sleeping gown, her hair loose and hanging down her back. She was looking around for whom she had believed earlier to be Impa. Then she went to close the window… wait; she never left the window open. Zelda was thinking that something was amiss while unbeknownst to her, Link was hiding right under the bed and keeping his mouth shut. He could see Zelda bare feet and then heard knock on the door.

Zelda went to open the door and one of the guards was on the other side. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

"We're sorry to disturb you Princess, but we're investigating odd noises up here," the guard stated. "Have you heard anything unusual recently?"

Zelda thought to tell the guards of the open window that shouldn't have been open at all. "I've heard no such noises," she said. "If I do, I'll inform you."

"With respect, we'd like to inspect your chamber, Princess." the guard claimed.

"With returned respect, I'm quite capable to handling the inspection of my own chamber. Now, if you be so kind as to depart…" Zelda said.

"Apologizes, Princess." the guard said before he and his cohort departed.

Zelda closed the door and breathed a slight sigh. She looked back at the still open window, still trying to figure out how it was opened in the first place. It was locked and there were gusts of wind of particular note. Zelda knew something wasn't right, but she chose to return to the next room. When she disappeared into the room and closed the door behind her, Link made his move. He scurried out from under the bed and began tip-towing back to the door. He stopped to check that Zelda was still in the next room and barely saw her. Chancing it, Link made for the door and went to open it. He peaked out the small crease and saw that the guards were gone. But he was unaware of the sharp, thin steel of a rapier sword pointed directly at the back of his next. Then came the voice…

"Do not make any sudden movements," she said coldly. "Turn around very slowly," Zelda held the rapier high at the neck as the intruder slowly turned around. She cocked an eyebrow when she saw it was a just boy that was her age. "Who are you and what are you doing inside my chamber?"

* * *

There were two guards at the front gate of the castle and four more atop the upper rampart watching their every move. Like the evening prior, the full moon was out and illuminating the front garden. This time, there were several passing clouds and a particularly thick one was passing by the moon. In an instant, the light from the moon turned to darkness, but the guards remained ever vigilant. That was until one of them suddenly dropped to the ground by the gate. The other guard went to check on his fallen comrade only to be taken down by an unseen force.

A new figure approached and yanked a set of daggers from the bodies. The intruder was Nabooru, and she wasn't alone. Then waved to the path that lead from the city to the front gate and the first thing to appear was a massive battering ram. The carriers weren't Hylian. They appeared to resemble a cross between ogres and goblins, and they wore armor. The guards on the rampart began to notice something was wrong, and those suspicions were correct when they heard the sound of steel being twisted apart. After that, there was the sound of grunting and they eventually spotted the intruders brazenly coming up the path to the castle. A woman was leading the charge.

"Moblins," one of the guards shouted. "We have Moblins approaching the main entrance. Sound the warning…"

To Be Continued...

* * *

Author's note: That's where I stop for the time being. Did you notice the names Kaepora and Gaebora in the chapter? Those are a reference to Kaepora Gaebora, the Wise Owl from Ocarina of Time.

Link finally meets Zelda for the first time. What going to happen? How did I do so far?


	5. The Banquet and the Siege: Pt II

Disclaimer: Looks like I've got a beta reader of my own. I hope this works out. (Update; here's the revised version of the chapter. Special thanks to Moon13Dreams.)

No ownership here.

* * *

Chapter IV

"I won't ask you again; who are you and what are you doing here?" Zelda said with a cold tone as she held the intruding boy at bay with her rapier.

"Well, I'm happy to tell you if just get that sword out of my face." the boy spat back wittily, not taking much of a liking to this spunky girl.

The response actually left Zelda flustered, not expecting him to be so calm and stubborn at the point of a blade. Never had anyone of the lower classes had spoken to her in such a tone and she didn't like it very much at all. "How dare you speak to me in such a manner? I am Zelda, daughter of King Daphnes and Princess of Hyrule. And you, whoever you are, will show me the proper respect due unto me, peasant."

"Uh, yeah right, like I'm going to show respect to some prissy, stuck-up Princess," the boy snapped. "Just because you live in your little bubble where the air doesn't move, you think you can hold yourself above the working class? That's just rich. And my name is Link, not 'peasant'."

"What sort of name is _Link_?" Zelda asked, slightly amused.

"I don't know. What sort of name is _Zelda_?" Link shot back. "A name like that sure sounds strange to me."

Zelda just glared at the intruder, this Link character, with extremely marked agitation. He was just standing there in front of her, shrugging his shoulders and smirking at her. The unbridled nerve of this intruder, she thought. But then Zelda noticed something. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was strangely familiar about this boy. It was on the tip of her delicate tongue, but the answer was kept just out of reach. She racked her head to try to figure out what was causing such a stir within her, while Link, on the other hand, seemed a little put off by the way this girl was staring at him. His instincts were telling him to hoof it out of the room to the hall. The Princess would try to stop him; that much he was expecting. But then she said something that threw Lick completely off his game.

"I've seen you before; in my dreams." she said somewhat softly, almost questioning herself, but she continued to gaze at the figure before her. There was no other answer. She knew that the boy in her dreams had to be the very boy who had somehow wandered into her domain.

Link just stared at Zelda with the most absolutely dumbfounded look he could possibly manage. He thought she was either crazy or trying to trick him. "Excuse me?"

But Link never received an answer, for the sudden sounds of a bell echoed around the two, bringing a foreboding alarm.

* * *

The guests at the banquet were also alerted to the sounds of a ringing bell that echoed through the main hall. King Daphnes and Impa knew that sound all too well and quickly noticed the front entrance gates moving. They weren't doing so on their own nor was it the royal guards' doing. It seemed more like they were being forced open by an outside source and a powerful one at that. The guards within the hall quickly approached the door with swords, shields and spears at the ready. The door was thumping loudly with the stretching breaks of lumber slowly converting into splinters, and the guards resolved that whatever was attempting to get in the castle was going to have to go through them.

Then the door swung wide open and a horde of ogre-like beasts poured through like a great flood. Though try as they might, the first few guards were cut down quickly without much of a fight back, while the guests were sent scrambling in fear to find some kind of escape and shelter from the horde of monsters. The invaders were called Moblins, battle hungry beasts that cared for nothing but destruction and they were absolutely craving for it. They were cutting through the guards like they were hardly a problem, as if they were mere little bushes trying to black their path. The guards that were alive attempted to fight back against the beasts while the guests ran for their lives. Impa was left to defend King Daphnes with two other guards.

As more of the Moblins poured into the hall in two separate single file lines, the lone figure of a woman calmly walked in between them. Impa saw immediately that it was Nabooru, a curved sword in each hand. Her face was morbidly expressionless, devoid of emotion as if she was under some sort of magic spell. Impa watched as Nabooru cut down the first guard to confront her and then the next one. On impulse, Impa was about to jump into the fight, but Daphnes was quick to stop her.

"My daughter, Impa," he said quickly. "See her to safety at once."

"My King…" Impa tried to interject.

"There will be no argument; go, please." Daphnes ordered. Impa reluctantly rushed off down another corridor, needing to cut down a Moblin or two as she continued on. Drawing his sword, Daphnes prepared to enter the fight when he houted out, "Ganondorf, where are you?"

As if waiting for his cue, Ganondorf appeared with a large sword in his hand and stood next to Daphnes. "I'm here at your side as always, my friend."

Daphnes nodded in approval as the first few Moblins approached. Each one of them was at least six and a half feet tall and wore armor on the shoulders, chest and head. Their snouts huffed out nauseating fumes and drool dripped from their jagged maws. Ganondorf and Daphnes inched closer to the beast as Nabooru suddenly appeared in front of them. She had her curved swords to the sides and she continued no emotion. Ganondorf inched forward more so than Daphnes, seemingly to confront his suddenly-turned-traitor associate. But then to the surprise of Daphnes, Ganondorf spun around and held his sword against the King. Daphnes noticed the decidedly twisted grin on the face of Ganondorf and he knew right then; Ganondorf was behind this invasion all along.

"Ganondorf, what is the meaning of this?"

Ganondorf chuckled at the question and said, "Really, Daphnes? Are you so senile that you can't see what is right in front of you?"

Daphnes stepped forward with his sword overhead, but Ganondorf simply caught the blade in his hand. Ganondorf felt the immediately sting of the blade and then saw the first trickle of blood spewing from the wound that was created. Then in a suddenly flash, Ganondorf yanked the sword from the King's hands and then swiftly smashed the hint of his own sword into the King's face. Daphnes collapsed stiffly to the floor in a heap right in front of Ganondorf. The smirk on his face was replaced by a scowl as he shook his head in disgust.

Turning to Nabooru, Ganondorf said, "Round up the people in the hall and anywhere else in the castle. You two," Ganondorf was addressing two Moblins. "Find the Princess and bring her to me; _alive_."

* * *

More Moblins forced their way into the lower floor where the people who were to be on clean up duty were waiting. As the beasts neared, the people there were running in fear from the intruders as they quickly cut down the only two guards there. In the chaos, Malon tried to wake Talon as one of the Moblins got close to them, which they barely evadeed. Soon, several castle guards suddenly appeared from the upper floor to try and fight off the Moblin,s but they were soon found to be no match for the brutality of the invaders.

Malon and Talon rushed to a corner as their only source of a sanctuary. Talon held on to his shaking daughter, her voice filled with fear as she muttered, "Papa, what's happening?"

"I don't know, Malon. Just stay close to me." Talon tried to soothe her.

Malon spent the next several minutes shaking as the fighting around her continued brutally on. She was afraid for her life, as well as her father's, but she was even more worried for someone else. Over and over she thought the worst, continually thinking, _Link, where are you?_

* * *

Zelda still had Link up against the door with the point of her rapier at his neck and kept him from moving, but she was still distracted by the sound of the warning bell. Link could see it in her eyes as they were darting back and forth between him and the sound while Link began to notice something familiar about Zelda and he thought about what she said to him. Something about her seeing him before in her dreams was... shockingly similar. Link had actually experienced his own dreams for awhile. The same one where both he and a girl were running from a monster… a girl who looked exactly like Zelda. It couldn't be a coincidence.

Link really didn't want to stick around and find out at the moment. He knew that, that signal wasn't good and he had to get to Malon before it was too late. He moved subtly closer to the door, hoping that he'd manage to even just barely escape. Zelda, noticing his movement as she refocused, quickly pushed her blade closer towards him. "I told you not to move."

"C'mon, I can't be the only one in this room hearing that sound." Link said.

"You shouldn't even be in this room in the first place," Zelda countered coldly. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Just as Link was about to answer, the door behind him jolted. The sudden shock sent Link forward, barely missing the rapier that would've otherwise penetrated his throat. Another jolt rocked the door and then there were the sounds of grunting and rambling. Zelda ignored Link and focused on the jolting door with her rapier drawn on it, while Link grabbed the nearby chair from the vanity mirror and held it fast. Zelda briefly glared at Link for the way he was grasping the chair. Link glared back at Zelda wondering what he'd just done this time. They were distracted again by the door's continued jolting and it became abundantly obvious that someone, or something, was trying to get into the room.

Small cracks began to form around the door and small rays of light from hall began pouring through. There were instances of shadows passing back and forth from the hall. Then Zelda and Link began hearing something else. It was the sound of steel slinging about and cutting into something that was made of flesh and bone. Suddenly, the door was broken through and a single Moblin came falling into the room to the floor where it lay unmoving. After the dead Moblin, Impa appeared with her own sword in hand and fresh green stains on her armor.

"Princess, are you alright," Impa asked approached the princess, suddenly becoming aware of Link's presence. "Who are you?"

Again before Link could speak up, Zelda asked, "Impa, what's happening?"

Impa was silent for a moment before she was able to get her thoughts together, "Ganondorf is waging a siege against the castle. Everything is in disarray."

"What about my father?" Zelda's eyes were filled with worry as she looked up at her lifetime guard and trusted friend.

"The king ordered that I get you to safety, Princess. I need to get you out of the castle right now. You're coming too, boy," Impa went back to the broken door, peaking quickly and carefully around the edge. "Follow me."

Impa led Zelda and Link out of the room and into the long, elegant hall, now littered by two Moblin carcasses. There were no other obvious obstacles or dangers that appeared in their path, but the three stayed wary. They could hear the chaos all around the castle; the screams of men and beast as their lives ended on the royal castle grounds. It was by the time they reached the spiral staircase that the trio saw the full extent of the invasion. All through the main hall and beyond, the castle guards were being decimated by hordes of Moblins. At the same time, several civilians were being rounded up by the invaders. Zelda stopped for a brief second and saw the damage the Moblins were causing, particularly to the portraits of her family… especially her mother.

The sight of such blatant disrespect filled Zelda with overwhelming rage, so much that she was tempted to confront the Moblins herself, but it was Impa who stopped Zelda and convinced her to follow her and Link. The trio moved on from the bottom of the staircase and down the right wing hall. It was soon that they were confronted by a pair of Moblins. They both carried a blunt club and a shield. They snarled and growled directly at the trio before moving to attack. Impa drew her sword and charged the Moblins. The first Moblin went in for a wide swipe from the left side, which Impa quickly ducked under while she charged the second Moblin. The second tried for a quick overhead smash, but Impa wasn't even there anymore when she rolled to the side.

The two Moblins regrouped and attacked Impa at the same time. Once they got close and started attacking with wild strikes, Impa took control. First, she ducked under one of her opponents and slashed his leg, bringing him to a knee. Next, she quickly wrapped her legs around the neck of the second Moblin and flipped him into the first. The Moblins fell over each other, recovered and attacked again. Impa was able to counter their feeble attacks and made quick work of them. The two defeated Moblins fell at the feet of Zelda, who glared at them with contempt.

"Let's go. There's a secret passage leading out of the castle." Impa rushed on with Zelda in tow, Link suddenly stopping short, which Impa quickly became aware of. "Boy…"

Link was looking back passed the dead Moblins, a haunting thought crossing his mind. "Malon is still in the castle somewhere. I've got to get her."

"We don't have time for this, boy," Impa stated in annoyance and impatience. "The longer we wait, the more likely that Ganondorf will claim what he wants. Now let's go."

"I'm not leaving Malon!" Link shouted firmly.

"And I'm finished arguing," Impa shouted back. "You want to go back and get yourself killed, then that is your choice. But I have my orders to get the Princess to safety."

"Impa, please…" Zelda shouted, silencing both Impa and Link.

Zelda was right to interject, bringing the argument to a sudden halt. While in their standstill, a faint grumbling sound at the far end of the hall rumbled, meaning that more Moblins were approaching. Wasting no more time, Impa grabbed Zelda's wrist and pulled with her further down the hall. Link remained where he stood. His only concern at that very moment was Malon. He wanted to go back for her, but he knew it was suicide to even try. Link was conflicted when he saw that Impa and Zelda were almost near the end the hall just reaching the next corner. At the other end, four more Moblins appeared all snorting and snarling. He knew that despite his worries, he had no choice.

Link rushed off after Impa and Zelda down to the end of the hall and rounded the corner. The next hall they reached was relatively clear but the faint sound of battle could still be heard throughout the castle. The sound of the Moblins from the previous hall was still fearfully close and they were getting closer fast. Impa had to get the Princess and the boy out of the castle right then and there before it was too late. She led them further down the hall, holding Zelda's wrist to keep her from falling behind while Link was easily keeping up on his own with the other two. One advantage he had since his childhood days was that he was a fast runner. That didn't do much to quell the pang of guilt he was feeling for seemingly leaving Malon, his childhood friend, behind with those monsters.

Again; what choice did he have? Link hustled to keep to pace with Impa and Zelda as they continued down a flight of stairs to a lower floor. On the way, day Link slipped and fell on his shoulder and halted Impa and Zelda. He managed to get up and keep going and the trio kept going. They reached an archway that led into another room, but there were Moblins there. They quickly attacked the trio and Impa quickly disposed of them without any trouble. After that, Impa led Zelda and Link into the room to a wall on the far side.

Impa approached the wall and started feeling the surface as if she was searching for something there. She knocked her knuckles on the surface, inching from side to side. The first few knocks were solid marble but a couple of the late knocks sounded hollow. Impa checked that particular spot again until it was determined that she'd found what she was looking for.

"This is it!" she said while feeling for something else on the wall.

She found a loose-fitting marble stone and pushed it inward. The wall began to shake and then slowly slide to the right. In place of the false wall was a passage that seemed to lead out of the castle. Link's eyes widened at the sight of the passage and wondered what other secrets the Royal Family might be hiding. He glanced at Zelda and saw that was just as surprised to see the passage. Impa hurried the two teens into the passage and was about to follow them when she heard the familiar rumblings of Moblins approaching. She stepped back from the passage and drew her sword.

Zelda stopped once she noticed. "Impa, what are you doing?"

"This passage will lead you both to a sanctuary in the city. You'll be safe there." Impa explained to the bewildered Princess. Then she handed Zelda her archery bow to her along with a quiver full of arrows.

"What? No," Zelda said brokenhearted. "You're not staying here, Impa. We all go together."

"Don't argue with me, Zelda. You are the only hope Hyrule will have if Ganondorf is to be stopped, and I've done my part," Impa declared as Zelda reluctantly took the bow and the quiver of arrows. "Boy… Impa called to Link. "I'm charging you with getting the Princess to safety."

"Me? But I'm not a soldier." Link said before Impa quickly shoved a duel-edged sword into his hands. It was light in his hand, but appeared sturdy and strong. Link wasn't sure what to think, never really having held a blade before.

"You are _now_. Get the Princess out of here while I cover your escape. I won't tell you again." Impa shouted as she pushed Link into the passage with Zelda.

"Wait, what about my friend? I can't just leave her behind!" Link said.

Impa slammed her fist into the false stone and the wall began to close, saying, "I'll do what can for her. Just get the Princess out of here. Please."

Link couldn't respond in time before the wall closed completely by the time the Moblins arrived. They confronted Impa alone, and Impa leaped into the group with reckless abandon. Even with the slight advantage in numbers, three on one, the Moblins were no match for Impa. She easily sliced through the group while staying constantly on the move and not slowing down for even a fraction of a second. She moved like lightning between the Moblins, cutting and slashing through them. In less than a moment, the three Moblins were down and dead, but three more reinforcements arrived.

Impa easily dispatched the first of the group with a quick slashing of its neck. The other two circled Impa, snorting and roaring as if that would intimidate her. Impa was hardly intimidated and defeated the next beast by plunging the blade of her sword into its gut. The third and final Moblin was quickly sliced across its chest and collapsed to the floor. Impa was panting after the minimal effort she put forth in dispatching her foes. Then she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her left arm. She found a single dart in her arm and pulled it free. Blood trickled from the wound while Impa looked toward the source of the dart.

Nabooru suddenly came leaping into the room and throwing two more darts at Impa. The first dart Impa was able to bat away but the second found its mark in her right leg. Pulling the dart from her skin, Impa prepared to fight on. But something wasn't right; Impa suddenly felt weak, sapped of her strength and agility. She felt her grip on her sword dwindling quickly before she dropped it, and then Nabooru struck from the air. She caught Impa with a double spin kick to the face. The first kick sent Impa reeling and the second sent her to floor defeated. Impa to move and reach for her fallen sword, but her body wouldn't obey. It was like she was paralyzed when Nabooru stood over her.

Then Nabooru stepped over Impa and mounted her while drawing out a small but sharp dagger. She held the dagger to Impa's neck. Impa could feel the blade against the skin. If Nabooru wanted to, she could've easily sliced her throat open. It was at that moment when Impa saw a vacancy in Nabooru's eyes. It soon occurred to Impa that Nabooru wasn't acting on her own.

"Nabooru, stand down," Ganondorf's voice rang morbidly as he approached, Nabooru stopping as ordered. He motioned for Nabooru to drag the beaten Daphnes into sight. "Help her up," he said to two Moblins. "I must say, I'm rather disappointed with the efforts of the castle guards. I especially expected better of you, Impa."

The two Moblins pulled Impa onto her knees, while Ganondorf held the point of his sword to the chest of King Daphnes. "I'm sorry that my efforts left much to be desired," She replied in defiance.

Ganondorf chuckled as he held the sword close to the chest of the beaten King. "Maybe you can redeem yourself, my dear. Where is the Princess?"

Impa was glaring daggers right through Ganondorf when she replied, "I don't know. Did you check her bedroom or the courtyard?"

"Do not play me for an imbecile, Impa, especially with the life of your King at stake," Ganondorf said. "Now I will ask you one more time. Where is the Princess?"

Impa saw how close Ganondorf was to slaying Daphnes. She was tempted to answer if only to save the King's life, but she also knew that Ganondorf would kill him anyway. Then Impa noticed Daphnes glancing at her as if demanding her to not say a word, even if it meant his own death. As much as it pained her to do it, Impa stayed silent and still. She looked away knowing what was about to happen. Ganondorf, unmoved by the show, plunged the blade into the chest of Daphnes. He breathed shallow for a moment, and as the sword was quickly removed, slumped to the floor and laid there unmoving. The deed done, Ganondorf approached Impa and rubbed his fingers across her cheeks.

"This could've been avoided if you'd told me what I needed to know, my dear sweet Impa," he said before Impa spit in his face. Ganondorf responded by backhanding Impa into unconsciousness. "Nabooru, throw her in with the rest of the captives," he said before turning to the Moblins. "And, find the Princess."

* * *

Author's Note: It's about time I finished this chapter. Sorry for the delay; it was Writer's Block again. This chapter was mainly focused on the siege and was slightly darker in terms of presentation.

I made some subtle alterations with an assisst from Moon13Dreams. Thanks again for the help.

Take the time to review, please.


	6. The Low Road

Disclaimer: Well, so far there have been very few reviews coming around, but beggars can't be choosers I guess.

I'm putting up a poll on my profile to determine what format would be better for a Legend of Zelda movie (that will never happen, but we can dream) Check it out.

No ownership here.

* * *

Chapter V

The passage that Zelda and Link found themselves in was nearly pitch black, the only source of light being a small series candle lights mounted on the walls. Even then, it was difficult to see where they were going and even harder for them to keep their footing, the path being submerged in sewer water up to their ankles. Worse yet, they weren't alone as they could vaguely hear faint squeaking echoing around them. Rats, Zelda thought. She didn't like rats; in fact, she detested the disease ridden creatures. No, she wasn't afraid of the little vermin, just hated them. Link, on the other hand, was somewhat indifferent of rats. He'd spent his free time to hunting the little critters around the ranch and in the city sub levels. He'd learned how to hunt them to keep them away from the produce Malon and Talon devotedly worked for; not that he'd expect someone like Princess Zelda to understand. Though, as sickening a notion it was to the two, the rats were actually leading the way for them.

The pair moved on through the dark passage, following their filthy little escorts out of one path and into another, eventually causing them to lose track of the path they traveled down there in the first place. Zelda had the foresight to use an arrow from her quiver and light the arrow with one of the wall mounted candles, allowing for a momentary glimpse of the path they were traveling before continuing on behind the rats' trail. Link also had a weapon on him, the sword Impa handed him before shoving the two down into the sewer-like tunnel. He wondered what became of her and if she ever found Malon. His mind wondered then to the ranch and how he would hunt the rats with Malon. She had never been found of the little creatures, but growing up on a ranch, she was one of the few girls Link had ever known not to scream at the sight of the rodents. The aforementioned rat hunting pastime of his, Link tended to use a boomerang. He was wishing he had it right now. Link spun around when he no longer hear the princess' splashing footsteps, finding Zelda standing as still as a statue, gazing back down the path they came.

"This… this is not right," she muttered softly, concern filling her chilling, quiet words. "I have to go back. Something is very wrong."

"Uh, that's a bad idea." Link countered. He had a frown on his lips, thinking the girl stupid to want to go back to that bloodied castle.

"I didn't ask for your opinion. I'm going back." Zelda puffed as she started back down the path.

Link quickly caught up with Zelda and stood to block her path. "No offence, Princess… but are you out of you mind? Did you not see those big ugly brutes tearing everything apart?"

"I'm well aware of what happened, but I refuse to allow my home to be taken by a tyrant," Zelda stated determinedly. "If there's even the slightest chance to regain my home, then I'm going to take it."

"That's suicide," Link bellowed firmly. "Look, I get that you're angry, but you'd be putting both of us in serious trouble if you go back."

Zelda sneered menacingly at Link. She could only think of one word to describe him. Coward; moreover, a coward trying to keep her from defending her home. "You don't have to go with me. You're more than welcome to stay down here with the rats, but I'm going to take my home back. Now step aside."

As Zelda pushed Link aside and started in the opposite direction. Link's blood boiled and he snapped, "What are going to do when you get back there? Scratch those Moblins with those teeny-weenie, itty-bitty fingernails you call arrows?"

Zelda stopped dead in her tracks in the ankle-deep water and stood stoically for long time. She wondering right at that moment what Impa was thinking when she charged this boy with guarding her. This boy actually had the audacity to question the Princess of Hyrule and to do so in such a disrespectful manner, neither of had anyone attempted to do in the past. Somehow, part of Zelda found it amusing and another part had something devilish in mind, something to put him in his place. Quickly and gracefully, Zelda pulled a single arrow from her quiver, set it in the bow, twirled her waist and let the arrow fly… directly at Link. He inched his upper body to the left side and the arrow zipped inches from his face before becoming in embedded in the wall beside him. Looking back at the arrow and thinking of just how close he came to getting in his eye, Link glared at Zelda who was smirking at him, proud of her work.

"That was three inches from my face." he growled.

"Four inches." Zelda said in a sweet, mocking tone. Not only did she prove him wrong, but she had proved that she was much more precise than he was.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm trying to prove a point. I can take care of myself and I don't someone to protect me," Zelda explained before lowering her bow. "However, I've had a change of heart. I realize that I can't take my castle back by myself; not yet," Putting her bow around her shoulder, Zelda started walking down the passage while Link, dumbfounded by her sudden compliance, could only stare at her. "The sanctuary is this way. Are you coming or not?"

Zelda continued down the passage without waiting for an answer. Link was left behind completely flabbergasted. He glanced at the arrow that was still embedded in the wall, still thinking about how close he came to losing an eye. Link didn't see it, but Zelda was smirking at her seeming triumph over him. Replaying the event in his mind, he was tempted to charge and tackle Zelda down into the filthy, rat infested water, but something caught his eye and distracted those thoughts. He took notice of a faint glow from his right hand in the shape of three triangles. Two of them were barely lit, but the lower right triangle seemed to glow even brighter than the candles around him. Link couldn't help to ponder what it meant.

At the exact same time, unbeknownst to Link, Zelda had stopped short at the glowing coming from her own right hand. AIt was the same small set of triangles, but it was different. Hers had the lower left triangle glowing brighter than the other two. She had found herself staring at the triangles on her hand intently, trying to comprehend its meaning. She then glanced back at Link, who appeared to be oblivious to her gaze. The dream of the Great Beast and the mysterious individual flashed in her mind. Zelda remembered that the individual had appeared very similar Link, though she had previously dismissed it as coincidence. But what if…?

"What?!" Link snapped with his voice echoing off the tunnel walls.

Zelda was startled out of her daydream, "Nothing. We should move on; the sanctuary isn't too far."

Link watched Zelda walk away with some mild confusion to why she was staring at him for no reason whatsoever. Or was she? Link recalled the moment they'd first met barely an hour ago. She claimed to have seen him before… in her dreams. Link pondered what in the blazes that meant since, well, he wasn't that much to look at. Blond hair, blue eyes, and shorter than many other Hyrulian men. There were already many others he'd seen fitting that description, so he figured she had saw someone like him from her castle windows and dreamt him up; but he thought that too easy of a solution. He was starting to think it had something to do with these bizarre triangles on his hand, which had suddenly disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Like Zelda, Link dismissed it as coincidence followed Zelda down the passage. This was going to be a long trek, and he didn't want to make it seem any longer.

* * *

The guests of the banquet and the clean-up crews were rounded up and thrown into the prison cells in one of the lower areas of the castle, Malon and Talon being among them. One of the guards was a hulking Moblin in heavy, dirty chainmail armor and carrying a chain link mace across the stone floor. He grumbled at the prisoners in the cells, frightening several of them. Two more Moblins came into the area dragging a battered woman into an opposite cell. Malon tried to sneak a peek at the woman as she was being chained to the wall. She had silvery white hair that was hanging from her head to her face, which was ruefully ruined by a bruise, likely from a hard strike. The guarding Moblin suddenly threw his mace onto the cell bars, startling Malon into her father's arms. The Moblin grumbled something that almost unintelligible before continuing his patrol.

Malon felt fear in her bones. Not for her, but for the boy who had wandered off long before this attack began; the boy who she had cherished as one of her closest friends. She couldn't help thinking he was dead since he had not been dragged down to the cells like the woman was. Somehow, even with that morbid thought, she hung onto hope. He was always strong and witty; sometimes too much for his own good. She thought that would be enough to save his life, but she still worried for him.

"Papa, Link's still somewhere in the castle," she whispered softly to her father. "It's my fault; I shouldn't have let him out of my sight."

"Don't blame yourself, Malon," Talon said with an uncharicteristically alert tone. "Wherever Link is now, I'm sure he's okay."

"I'd listen to yer Pop, lass," an old man said from the dark corner. "If your friend hadn't taken off, he'd be stuck in here wit' the lot of us."

Malon recognized the old man as the one distracted the guards earlier, which led to Link sneaking into the castle. "It was you; you talked Link into sneaking into the castle!"

"Eh, might've nudged the boy a bit..." He grunted slightly as he moved to sit closer to them. "Name's Gaebora, by the way. You should have some faith in yer friend, lass; might be more to him than you know, maybe even he might know."

Malon gazed curiously at the strange old man as he spoke to her like some wise old owl. "You don't know Link like I do, Mr. Gaebora. He's one to get himself into trouble a lot."

"Maybe it's _you_ who doesn't know him, lass."

She wa hit hard by this stranger's comment. She doubted anyone could know Link better than she did, yet those words made her question herself. She sighed, _You'd better come back to me, Link..._

* * *

Elsewhere in the castle, more Moblins were patrolling the newly ruined halls, all searching high and low for the missing Princess. None of them were aware of her recent escape through a hidden passage, nor were they smart enough to think of such a thing. Truly, they didn't care too much about finding the Princess, so long as it gave them more opportunity to tear the castle apart. But sooner or later, preferably later, someone would have to report to Ganondorf. He wouldn't be the least bit happy about it. That was what they were truly worried about; facing Ganondorf's rage.

One of the many Moblins was going to report to Ganondorf in the throne room. Nabooru stood stoically at his side as Ganondorf sat on the throne of the recently deceased former King Daphnes. The lone Moblin approached his master and dropped to a knee to greet him even though Ganondorf hardly registered the presence of his lackey. Ganondorf eventually took some veiled notice of the Moblin and sat upright in the throne. "What have you to report?"

The Moblin looked away as he could feel the cold, yellow eyes of his master upon him. "We have searched all throughout the castle; every corner of every room and hall. I have several of my brethren searching the courtyard now as well as the horse stables, but so far…"

"So far…" Ganondorf stood from the throne and slowly approached the suddenly frightened Moblin. "You have yet to locate Princess Zelda anywhere within the walls of this castle," Ganondorf sauntered to the Moblin and loom over him like an ominous shadow and continued in a calm and collected tone. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, the Princess is no longer within the castle at all?"

The Moblin just couldn't look up at his master and stammered, "W-We will double our efforts, my lord. We will retrieve the Princess and bring her to you. I swear on my life…" the Moblin stopped talking once he felt the cold steel of a blade through his abdomen.

"It's unfortunate that your life alone will not be enough," Ganondorf whispered and then swiftly pulled the sword out of the deceased Moblin's body which then slumped to the floor. "Nabooru, after you dispose of the garbage, I want you to search the castle for any possible secret passages or anything that the Princess could've used to escape. And be prompt about it."

With a bow, Nabooru had two Moblins drag the carcass of the dead Moblin away before she went off on her assignment. Ganondorf stood stoically for a long time afterwards, contemplating his next plan for when the Princess would be brought back to him; _if_ she was ever to be found. He strolled over to one of the stain glass window. It was about the same length in height as the throne room and one of many that lined the far wall. There, Ganondorf gazed out the window at the night sky and spent the next few minutes contemplating.

He then turned his attention down to his right hand, seeing out of the corner of his eye that three triangles appeared glowing on it. The bottom two dimmer than the third, upper-most triangle that shimmered for a moment before fading from sight. Ganondorf knew what it meant. That symbol was of the fabled relic called the Triforce. The story was that the Triforce was left behind by the three Golden Goddesses that created Hyrule. Separated into three crests, each represented a single virtue of the Goddesses; Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Each of those three virtues were bestowed on those chosen by destiny by the Goddesses themselves.

Much to his delight, Ganondorf knew he had received the Crest of Power. Not only did he believe in Power, but he wanted it. He hungered and lusted for it. One piece of the Triforce could never be enough, e thought. Ganondorf wanted the Triforce as a whole, and he knew already from the start that one of crests lay with Princess Zelda. He didn't know which one Zelda had been bestowed, but he knew she had one. It was now just a matter of time before he would find out who had the third crest, but that would come later. Right now, Ganondorf wanted the Princess, no matter how long it would take or how many lackies would be sacrificed.

* * *

Link was right. The trek through the passage in the ankle deep water was painfully taking much longer than he'd like. He sensed that Zelda was also aware of the time it was taking them to reach their destination, but Zelda said nothing of it. In fact, neither of them spoke a word since she shot that arrow at his face. Link wasn't very fond of uncomfortable silences, but he didn't have much to say to the Princess and the same could be said with Zelda given her initial distrust of Link. She was still trying to figure out what the connection between the dreams and the three triangles on her hand.

Looking down at her hand where the triangles had been earlier, Zelda suddenly had an epiphany; the Triforce. Those triangles represented the Triforce of myth. Zelda stopped; how could she possibly have known that? She examined her hand a little closer and remembered the lower-left triangle glowing with the other two faded. If memory served her well, that single glowing triangle represented the Crest of Wisdom. Zelda again glanced at Link, who was seemingly oblivious to the fact that she'd stopped walking until he was almost right next to her. He looked up at her and exchanged plain gazes.

"What?" Link said irritably for having asked the same question nearly half an hour before. He didn't expect to get much more of an answer than the last time.

Zelda shook her head and replied, "Nothing. Let's keep going."

She continued to walk on as if they had said nothing, but Link was unconvinced. "You know, that's the second time you've looked and not said a word."

Zelda stopped once again and turned toward Link. "Look, it's not my intension to deliberately leave you in the dark…"

"We're already in the dark." Link quipped.

"…but there are things happening in which I need the proper time and place to contemplate it all," Zelda finished. "So please, just trust me."

Link chuckled at that last choice of words. "Trust you?" he repeated bitterly amused. "You held a sword to my throat and almost shot my eye ut with an arrow... and I'm supposed to trust you?"

"It was a practice rapier I use for fencing; you weren't in any real danger," Zelda claimed. "Beside, how do I know that you're even capable of using that sword Impa gave you?"

Link looked down at the sword that was hooked to his belt. "Believe it or not, I'm actually pretty handy with a sword."

"I'm sure…" Zelda quipped and moved on, leaving Link totally befuddled.

_Who is this girl?_

* * *

The trek through the passage continued for what felt like hours; maybe even days at a time. The only thing that Link and Zelda had to guide them through the passage were the wall mounted candles and the rats; vile, disgusting and possibly contagious-of-some-unknown-disease rats. The more of these vermin that Zelda saw, the more she wanted to vomit right where she stood. Or on Link; whichever came first. Thsough she hated to even think about it, the rats actually seemed to know where they going. Wherever they were headed, Link and Zelda followed.

It wasn't just the rats that made for an uncomfortable trek, but the continued lack of communication between Link and Zelda. Aside from their earlier banter, they said not a word to each other for one reason or another. Link in particular felt like he'd just become completely mute, which disturbed him since he liked to talk now and again, usually to Malon, but Zelda wasn't Malon. Link was starting to wish he hadn't left Malon behind at the castle along with her father and the rest of the people who were now at the mercy of a psychopath.

Zelda was experiencing much of the same feelings as Link was. She regretted having to be forced to escape from the castle and leaving her own father and Impa behind. By now, she assumed that her father was dead, killed by Ganondorf for whatever reason, and Impa was likely dead or imprisoned, which hurt Zelda even more. The Sheikah bodyguard had been the closest thing to a mother that Zelda had after the Queen died long ago, but that was in the past. Zelda knew she needed to push forward, especially now.

The duo trudged on down the passage following the lead of the rats, but the seemed to be fewer and fewer of them. They were seemingly scattering every which way, which meant they were close to the end of the passage or something had startled the rodents. The former notion proved to be the correct one when Zelda and Link found themselves at a dead end.

A dead end.

"You've got to be kidding me." Link mused.

Zelda put her hands on the wall that was the dead end. "This is wrong. This… this is so wrong. This shouldn't be here."

"This shouldn't be here," Link angrily repeated, gritting his teeth with a clenched fist. "Well, it is here. Your so-called bodyguard led us into tunnel to die!"

"Will you please be quiet? I'm trying to think."

"Oh, she's trying to think. What is there to think about, Princess?" Link snapped. "Look around; this is a dead end. There's no way out of here."

"Shut up, please. Just shut up," Zelda sounded as if she was starting to panic. "Alright, Impa wouldn't lead us down this passage of she knew there wasn't a way out. There is a way out and we just have to find it."

Link huffed in frustration and leaned against the wall while Zelda searched for a way out. Suddenly, Link felt something move behind him and he turned to find a piece of wall stone sunk into the wall itself. He could practically see the edges. Link examined the stone and pressed his hand against it. It moved with almost no resistance at all. At the same time, he also felt a faint whiff of air on his ankles. Kneeling down and putting his hand to the ground, Link did indeed feeling a faint rush of air.

"I think a found that way out." he said, grabbing Zelda's attention.

Without waiting for Zelda to respond, Link pressed the pressure stone further into the wall, which offered no resistance to his touch. Eventually, it was all the way into the wall, but the wall didn't react. Zelda resolved that there was another pressure stone somewhere on the wall and searched for it. She found it situated at the other end of the wall and pressed hard on it. Like before, the stone put up little resistance as it sank into the wall. Zelda backed away from the wall while Link stayed in place, both waiting for something to happen.

Then without warning, the wall began to tremble ever so lightly and startled the duo into backing away. Within the next few moments, the wall started rising up from out of the ground and light began pouring into the passage. It was absolutely blinding to Link and Zelda, both of whom had to squint their eyes at the light. Soon after the false wall had risen, and the two heard the faint, soothing sound of music from within the light, which then eventually faded away. Up ahead was a very large wide open room.

Zelda walked into the room ahead while Link reluctant to follow, yet something in the pit of his stomach told him to follow her into the room. _Why do I get this feeling that something bad is going to happen?_

* * *

Author's note: I'm ending the chapter right there for now to pick it up later on.

One of the aspects of this chapter (and something of a plot point for the story in general,) is the initial hostility between Link and Zelda. They've never met officially in this story before now and thus aren't fond of each other at the start and that was something I wanted to do in order to make the story unique.

Gaebora speaks to Malon and hints of there being more to Link than even Link himself might know.

Naturally, the motivations of Ganondorf are about as clear as the blue sky.

Oh yeah, and the secret passage at the end that was found by Zelda and Link is sort of a reference to _A Link to the Past, _for those who didn't notice.

How am I doing so far? Review, review, review.


	7. Children Of Destiny

Disclaimer: I not even surprised anymore by the lack of reviews. It's got me thinking that this story is a lost cause. I hope otherwise 'cause I don't want to have to delete it.

No ownership.

* * *

Chapter VI

As the mismatched pair entered the wide open space of the new room, the soothing sound of gentle church music continued at a slow and steady tone. The décor of the room was actually somewhat similar to the décor of Hyrule Castle; soft, elegant, and extravagant. White marble walls and pillars lined the length of the room while there was an enormous dark red carpet across the floor. Two sets of full length seats rest on said carpet side by side, leaving an aisle down the center between them. There was an altar resting just ahead of Zelda and Link, the former of whom slowly approached it from out of the passage. Link was busy gazing around the room and didn't have a chance to notice that Zelda had shed a tear when she saw the altar. There she placed her hands on the altar and fought away the tears that were slowly welling up in her eyes.

Eventually taking notice, Link asked, "You okay?"

"Yes," Zelda replied quickly, but the expression on her face betrayed her words. With a small, barely audible sigh, she continued with the truth, "No. This is the Temple of Time; this is where my mother was laid to rest when she passed away... years ago."

"I'm sorry." Link's tone was soft and genuine. He somewhat relate with the Princess, having to deal with not having parents to guide him when he was younger.

Wiping her face of thea tears, she tried to gathered herself. She never did like to cry in front of others and she especially didn't want to cry in front of Link. "It's alright. We should be safe here for the time being."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Link muttered as he gazed back at the tunnel they emerged from. Suddenly, the pair heard a door open in the distance, not sure where as the sound came from as it reverberated off the church walls. Zelda immediately crouched down behind the altar while Link slipped down behind one of the seats, both of them having a nervous pounding in their chests.

A deep, slightly raspy voiced called out, "Who's there?"

An elderly looking man came into the hall having a large stick in hand as he walked across the floor. His robes were partly shredded, but ran down to the floor where it dragged along, clinging to the ground. His grayish-white beard covered his entire jaw while his equally grayish hair ran down from the ugly hat he wore. After taking his time walking slowly and briskly into the big room, the old man gazed around for whomever it was that had invaded the Temple of Time. In defense of his wellbeing, he brought up if walking stick and held it out front. If the intruder was some random bandit, he'd whack repeated until he, she or even they ran away.

"I know you're in here, hiding in this hallowed space," he said. "Show yourself so I can throw you out on your behind."

Link glanced over at Zelda from his hiding spot behind the front-most seat. She was also glancing back at Link from behind the altar. Both of them shrugged, not too sure as to how to respond to the old man. Obviously, ignoring him wasn't much of an option; he already knew they were there and there was no way to try to sneak away. Link then noticed Zelda waving him off. She was clearly trying to urge him to reveal himself, while he was trying to wave her into doing the same. Link practically had used his own form of sign language to ask if she was out of her mind. Ignoring him, she again attempted to urge Link to reveal himself. As they continued to silently bicker back and forth, the Old Man slammed the point of his walking still to the floor, the loud thump echoed through the room.

"I said show yourself," he bellowed, causing Link to cringe; he could tell that the elderly man ment business despite his feeble age. Zelda smiled, waving at Link almost mockingly. With an annoyed sigh, Link stood up to reveal himself. The old man seemed nonplused. "Oh, it's you."

"Nice to see you too, Old Man." Link quipped.

The Old Man, whose name Link couldn't even spell, much less pronounce, slowly inched his way to the boy while huffing along the way. "You being here in this holy place hardly surprises me nowadays knowing the sort of trouble you conjure up on a regular basis. Where's your little redheaded friend?"

Link felt a sudden pang of guilt when Malon was brought up. He was worried about her, hoping that Impa was able to save her before the goblins got to her. "Um, well she's… um…"

"HEY," the Old Man shouted passed Link. "I know you're there hiding that altar. Show yourself."

There was a moment of sudden dread for Link and Zelda, who was still hidden behind the altar. She was hoping to the heavens that this Old Man to whom Link was speaking wasn't one of Ganondorf's lackey's; though she thought the man sounded entirely too senile for that particular notion to be considered. Despite that, she was scared of what danger this man potentially could pose, so she tightly grabbed her bow, readying it without grasping for an arrow. Taking a deep breath, she stood up slowly from behind the altar. Much to her surprise, the man didn't seem to be an immediate threat. No sword, no shield... he seemed to be just as he appeared to be; an old man.

As she stare at him, the Old Man cocked his head to the side, curiously studying the girl as well. She clearly wasn't Link's friend; this one's long hair and facial structure was so different than the other. She seemed much more mature than Link's redheaded friend; regal even. Yet, somehow, there was something strangely familiar about her, as if he'd seen her somewhere before… and then it hit him. His wrinkly eyes widened once he realized who this girl was.

"You… you are the one and only Princess of Hyrule…" his voice clearly portrayed his bafflement. "…the daughter of Kind Daphnes and Queen Vera, the heir to the throne and…" he stopped and thought and then spun around to face Link, who threw his hands up in defense. He knew that it looked bad for him. "Link, you young fool! What did you do? What madness did you cause in kidnapping the Princess? Are you out of you bloody mind?!"

"I swear to the heavens that this isn't what it looks like, Old Man." Link quickly defended.

"You're in a holy place here, boy. Watch your tone," the Old Man spat. "Now, I suggest you starting speaking the truth lest I summon the Royal Guards."

"No wait," Zelda rushed over to Link's aid, which surprised both him and the Old Man. "Please, my companion does in fact speak the truth. My castle, my home has been taken by the Gerudo chief, Ganondorf, and my father, slain."

The Old Man took a few moments to process the words of the Princess. "Ganondorf, you say? King Daphnes slain? Bah," the Old Man stomped around the room, banging the tip of his stick on the floor. "The words alone don't fit together. The King is dead; long live the King… and Queen…" he added. "…in the hearts and minds of the people of the Hyrule."

"Please, if there's any way possible for you to help me reclaim my home, then you must tell me how," Zelda pleaded, hoping that he could aid her. "The future of Hyrule hangs in the balance."

"I very much doubt an old fart like myself can do much against someone the caliber of the Gerudo chief. Unless…"

The Old Man fell completely silent, as if he fallen into deep thought; or just went completely stiff, neither Zelda nor Link knew for sure. It turned out to be the former once the Old Man started tapping his walking stick on the floor. That usually meant, in his mind anyway, that he was thinking. The pair exchanged slow glances that were mix of confusion, frustration, and exhaustion while they waited for the Old Man to speak again. To their impatient dismay, the Old Man simply walked around, tapping his stick on the floor as he went while apparently muttering lowly to himself. He paused and looked as though he was about to speak. The two were eager to listen, unconsciously leaning slightly closer. Then he went back to thinking, much to the annoyance of the pair.

"Of course," he finally said, turning to Zelda. "Princess, may I see your hand for a moment?"

"My hand?" Zelda asked with slight curiosity. She looked over at Link who smiled and humorously waved her off. She rolled her eyes as she held out her hand.

Taking her hand, the Old Man studied it closely, finding the light outline of three triangles. "Ah ha," he said. "It's exactly as I thought it would be. These outlines match that of the Triforce."

"I'm sorry; the what?" Link asked.

"The Triforce, boy; the mythical relic left behind by the Golden Goddesses at the dawn of Hyrule's creation," the Old Man stated. "Don't you read your history?"

"I'm usually too busy running from the guards." He chuckled with some amusement and pride, failing to see that Zelda had rolled her eyes.

"Bah, I have to explain everything to you. The story of the creation of Hyrule is as old as Hyrule itself…"

* * *

_((In the beginning, the realm we call home was nothing more than a barren, chaotic and lifeless world. That changed when the Golden Goddesses appeared from the heavens and went about spreading their gifts across the realm. Din was the first to spread her gift by giving the realm its physical form creating the mountains and the trees, the oceans and the high plains. Nayru would spread her gift of law and order that would serve to govern the realm. Finally, Farore created the flora and fauna and the races that would inhabit the realm. The realm of Hyrule was created by the Golden Goddesses and has existed ever since._

_Once the deed was done, the Goddesses returned to the heavens. They each left behind a portion of their gifts in the form of three triangles. Separately, the triangles represented the three virtues of Power, Wisdom and Courage. Together, they formed the relic that would become forever known as the Triforce. The legend goes that whoever was to acquire the Triforce would have their one wish, their one greatest desire, granted._

_There was a chance; the individual who acquired the Triforce had to pure of heart with a balance of the three virtues. If that individual were to be, let's say, power-hungry or weak-willed, then the Triforce would splinter into its three separate triangles. One of the triangles would remain with the individual who believes most in one of the three virtues, while the other two would seek out those chosen by destiny.))_

* * *

"I assume that Ganondorf had found the Triforce long ago," the Old Man continued while still holding Zelda's hand. "Because he wasn't pure of heart, the Triforce splintered into its three pieces and he kept one. In this case, Ganondorf attained only the Crest of Power."

"That's really interesting, but what's that have to do with us?" Link asked.

"Princess Zelda here was one of the three chosen by destiny to bear one of the Crests; in this case, the Crest of Wisdom," the Old Man explained. "If I were a betting sort, which of course I clearly am not, the Crest of Courage lies…" the Old Man then pointed his bony finger at Link, "…with you, boy."

Link shouted, his eyes dilated in stunned disbelief, "Me?!"

At the same time, Zelda shouted with equal disbelief, "Him?!"

"Whoa, wait a minute; I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and probably for the wrong reasons," Link defended. "I mean, do I really look like some kind of chosen one?"

"I agree; there must some sort of mistake. Look at him," Zelda waved her hand to Link, not able to believe the insanity that the Old Man spoke. "He's a mess from off the streets of the Royal City for Heaven's sake! He hasn't had a sword in his hand for more than a couple hours!"

"You know I can hear you, right?"

"As messy a street urchin he may be," the Old Man yanked Link's hand out, revealing the same triangle outline that was found on Zelda. "This here makes all the difference. The two of you have been chosen by destiny to quell the great evil that even now is spreading across the realm. Come with me."

The Old Man lumbered off to the farthest corner of the room, leaving the two to exchange very wary glances. It was painfully obvious that they didn't like each other for various reasons, but if what the Old Man told them was true, then they were the only ones who could stop Ganondorf. That was assuming they didn't try to kill each other first. With a pair of pained sighs, they followed the Old Man to the corner and it was there that he turned a knob. A door opened leading into a smaller enclosed room.

The room wasn't much to look at in terms of décor. It was dimly lit with only a single ceiling light. Several book shelved lined the walls, dusty and clearly old. A large map rest on the wall farthest from the door that showed a map of Hyrule, including the plain and the various corners of the realm. Zelda took a particular interest in the map as she recognized places such as Death Mountain, Hylia Lake and Kokiri Forest. There were also the regions of the Lost Woods and Gerudo Valley, two places Zelda preferred to avoid; though she couldn't say the same for Link.

At the moment, he was sharing at a large shield, diamond-shaped and made of iron, that rested on the wall. While the edge was silver all around, most of the shield was blue with red designs around it. At the very center of the shield was image of the Triforce. That design was colored gold, all three triangles seeming to shimmer in the dim light. Link couldn't shake the feeling that he'd seen the shield somewhere before, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Snapping the tw from their distractions, the Old Man popped out of another room while dragging a chest out loudly behind him.

"As it turns out, I've been expecting something like this to happen since the passing of Queen Vera, hence the reason that the Sheikah entrusted me with this chest," he explained while dropping the chest to the floor. "I'm too old for this. Well…"

"Well what?" Link's face had confusion written all over it.

"What're you waiting for," the Old Man snapped. "Open the chest."

_Why am I doing all the work? _Link thought annoyed as he opened the chest. He pulled a forest green tunic and cap, a white full body suit and a set of brown leather gloves and boots. Link's response was, "It's… green."

"In the ancient Hylian dialect, it's said that the color green is a representation of courage," the Old Man stated. "Princess Zelda, this is yours, passed down through the years from the Sheikah clan."

Zelda received a form fitting unitard. The arms and leggings were solid blue and the chest area was silver with a design of a red eye on the center, which Zelda recognized as the symbol of the Sheikah. "Hey, how come her outfit looks better than mine?" Link asked.

"Perhaps it's because you're not royalty," Zelda returned wittily with a subtle smirk on her lips. Ignoring Link, who was sticking his tongue out at her, she said to the Old Man, "This clothing is quite unique, but it can't possibly be enough to stop Ganondorf."

"That clothing and weapons you both carry will only protect you harm. Ganondorf will send every minion he has after the both of you," the Old Man told them. "The only way either of you will have a chance to defeat him is to find the weapon that is the blade of evil's bane. You need to recover the Master Sword."

"What's so special about this Master Sword?" Link asked.

"The legend goes that the Master Sword was forged at the behest of the Golden Goddesses to prevent the Triforce from falling into the wrong hands," Zelda explained. "It's said that the Sword has the power to repel evil and to keep them from using the sword."

"And, you know where this Sword is, right, Old Man?"

"Nope," the Old Man casually replied, much to Link and Zelda's chagrin. "Although, it's rumored that three jewels are scattered across Hyrule and when these jewels are put together, they can pinpoint the exact location of the Master Sword."

"I can only assume that you don't know the locations precisely of these jewels." Zelda said with a frown.

"Unfortunately, no, I don't. But you could try searching for one of them in Kokiri Forest, south of the Great Plains that stretch across Hyrule," said the Old Man before he reached into the chest and pulled out a smaller replica of the big map and a compass. "Take these. They should be a useful guide for you on your journey."

* * *

Link and Zelda spent the next few minutes getting into the clothing that the Old Man provided them. They did get dressed while out of sight of the other since the last thing they wanted was to see each other not clothed. Link emerged from out of the closet, a little bit annoyed that he was made to dress in such a dark, enclosed space. He felt like a fool when he came out wearing the white full body suit and the green tunic and the gloves and boots. He had the cap in his hand as he'd yet to put it on. The sword Impa had given him during the escape from the castle was kept in an over-the-shoulder sheath on his back.

"I look ridiculous," he scoffed as he looked himself over. "I feel ridiculous."

"That's putting it mildly." Zelda quipped.

She appeared wearing the Sheikah-inspired unitard. Her hair was tied behind her in a tail while she wore a wrap cap on her head and a scarf around her neck. Whether that was for added mystique or protection, Link wasn't exactly sure, but he didn't really care enough to ask. The unitard was formfitting, that much he did notice. Zelda noticed Link eyeing her and glared at him, in which he quickly averted his gaze. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Ignoring him, Zelda grabbed her bow and slung it over her shoulder before pushing passed Link out of the room. The Old Man walked up to Link and put a hand on his shoulder.

"She's a stubborn one, the Princess; headstrong and proud, just like her mother," he stated. "It's your responsibility to keep her safe, boy."

"Keep her safe? I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself," Link scoffed, remembering how she almost took his eye out in the tunnel. "Besides, she doesn't like me nor do I like her."

"Be that as it may, Zelda can't challenge Ganondorf on her own," the Old Man explained. "You need to protect her, because if Ganondorf succeeds in capturing her, he'll be one step closer to the Triforce and all you know will be destroyed."

"But I'm not a hero. I shouldn't even be involved in any of this." Link said.

"Yet, here you are. Sometimes, things happen for a reason," the Old Man walked over to the wall on which the shield hung and took it down, handing it to Link. "It's dangerous out there. Take this; it might come in handy."

Link took the shield, albeit reluctantly, and held him in his left hand for a few moments at a time. He expected it to be heavy, maybe even drop it to the floor, but, much to his surprise, it was actually lightweight even though it was made almost entirely of iron. Link swung the shield around. It offered almost no drag or weight. Strangely, Link then drew the sword and held it steady in his right hand. He felt different, as if he was someone else entirely, but once he put the sword and the shield away, he just felt again like… Link.

Zelda reappeared from outside the room, completely ignoring the look on Link's face. "Are you coming or not?"

Link didn't respond, but the Old Man did. "Follow me," he said. "I can get you both out of the city undetected. After that," he paused to let Link and Zelda think about it. "The fate of Hyrule rests in the hands of the both of you."

* * *

Author's note: Like I said, I'm not surprised by the lack of reviews and I really don't want to cut this one loose.

That said; there was mainly a lot of talking in this chapter until the end. Link in particular received his iconic green tunic and the Hylian shield. Also, Link is right-handed in this story. Zelda received the Sheikah outfit from Ocarina of Time but retains the bow.

Other than that, not much out of this chapter so send a review to keep this story alive.


	8. An Unexpected Journey

Disclaimer: I don't know what happened, but one of the reviews I got in my last chapter, (which I promptly deleted as I found it somewhat insulting) fired me up. Whoever you are, thank you. (sarcastic wink)

FYI; I've read the Zeldanime comic a few times, which added a little more inspiration for Zelda. A thank you in advance to **Moon13Dreams** for any additional contributions made.

I (we) own nothing of the Legend of Zelda.

* * *

Chapter VII

Using yet another secret passage that was hidden in the gardens of the Temple of Time, the Old Man led Link and Zelda out of the city undetected. Despite that, their travel through the dark corridors of the hidden tunnel were not too pleasant due to Link and the Princess's continuing dislike of one another. Zelda was still trying to wrap her head around why in the world the Goddesses would chose someone like him to hold a piece of the Triforce, whilst Link was only wondering how he got sucked into this mess in the first place. Adding to the uncomfortable atmosphere, the trek was as before, long and arduous. Zelda had thought to herself that her only saving grace was that there were no rats in this passage, unlike the one before.

For the two Triforce holders, it felt like it had been hours before they eventually reached the moat that surrounded the outside of the city wall. The trio gazed out across the Great Plains of Hyrule, which were vast, spreading as far as the eye could see. Knee-high grass kissed the ground wherever they looked, trees lining the plains with their branches filled with millions of lush green leaves; a nearby riverbank spilled from the moat all the way southeast with waters shining as bright and clear as crystals. Just above the river, a small archway bridge was position towards the east, leading to a village Zelda had been to only a handful of times with her guardian, Impa; the same one Impa had been raised in. Kakariko Village; but now was hardly the time for sightseeing.

Dawn was quickly approaching as the sun was just started to rise over the horizon. The Old Man rushed the pair out of the passage towards the field, nearly pushing Link into the moat. With some difficulty, he managed to avoid the tumble. Zelda wasn't innocent to the sight and almost, _almost_ broke into hysterical laughter. Much to her dislike, Link noticed the snicker and the sly grin on the Princess's face where he happily imagined himself tossing her into the moat; soon deciding against it for the sake of not having another arrow shot at his face.

They crossed under the bridge where the water was shallow, much to the duo's surprise. Once they were on the other side of moat, Zelda looked back to see that the Old Man hadn't moved from the passage. "You're not coming?"

"Bah, I'm far too old to be traveling across the Great Plains, Princess," said the Old Man. "I've done my part anyway. The fate of Hyrule rests with the two of you."

Zelda was unsure of how to feel, only able so return his foreboding words with, "Thank you."

"Just make this journey worthwhile, if not for yourself then for the people." then the Old Man retreated back into the passage.

She stared at the Old Man's figure fading into the darkness of the passage until he was seen no longer. Zelda almost felt as though she was about to weep but she forced herself to gather herself before turning back to Link without a trace of what tears she almost cried. Zelda was a proud woman and she refused to show anything that could be taken as weak. Sh couldn't stand the thought of it, especially with someone like him. "Let's go. We've a long journey ahead of us."

"I can't wait." Link rolled his eyes, sarcasm drenching every word he spoke as Zelda marched forward. He looked back at the tunnel longingly, wishing that if he went back, everything would be as it should; no sword, no silly outfit, and definitely no Princess. Knowing that a wish such as that wouldn't be coming true anytime soon, he sighed as he reluctantly followed after her.

* * *

The first light of the sun shone through the only portal to the outside of the dungeon cell which many of the banquet guests-turned-prisoners occupied, all disheveled, tired, and afraid, even as they laid sleeping. Malon had been sleeping a dreamless sleep while resting her weary head in her father's lap when the sunlight shone down on her face. The little light that got through was enough that it forcing her tired eyes open, gazing up at the light as she rapidly blinked her eyes. She was a bit surprised that it was dawn already, the events of the past evening seeming to last for an eternity. She was inwardly hoping that her situation changed, maybe even that her being trapped in a dungeon was all just a bad dream; a horribly bad dream. Clearly, seeing all the other prisoners around her, that wasn't the case. Malon checked on her father, moving ever so slowly; he was still asleep. Then she looked around at the various people she with whom she was sharing the cell, people ranging from the guests who were invited to the party to castle guards who all had some sort of eminence of battle on them. Some of them were whimpering, shivering due to the draft cell they were forced to stay in while others, mainly the few surviving castle guards, stayed eerily silent.

The silence and fear that coated the air made her tremble like a the timid little leaf she promised herself she wouldn't be when she was younger. She had always wanted to be strong, but at that point, her stubborn will was fading little by little. She felt so alone, even with her father so close to her and she hated it. She was always alone until Link had showed up at her home that one night. Since that night, she wasn't lonely nor was she scared. It was as if he had lifted a huge weight off her shoulders for her to be herself, but now, she didn't have such freedom.

Oh,_ Link... where did you go? You better not have gotten yourself killed. I'll never forgive you if you have..._

Malon's gaze was caught by the cell adjacent from hers where the silvery-haired woman from before was still chained to the wall. Her head was hanging down and Malon could've sworn she heard her heart slow down. She feared that the woman's time had expired, either from a prior beating or malnourished. When the woman moved very slightly, indicating that she was still alive, she let out a sigh of relief. Malon approached the bars of her cell, touching the grimy iron with her hands, which caused a chill to go down her spine. She had to make sure that this woman was okay.

"Hello," Malon whispered, to which the woman didn't respond. She frowned. "Hello, can you hear me?"

The woman slowly raised her head to Malon to reveal just how much damage had been delt to her. Her eyes were bloodshot and the bruise on her face was swelling badly; her voice raspy as she replied, "Yes, I hear you... What's your name, child?"

The girl glanced toward the nearby flight of stairs, hoping that none of those monsters were coming. She knew that if she was caught talking to her, those mosters would surely do aweful things to her and she had no intention of finding out what they were. Yet, knowing the danger she was taking, she continued, "My name is Malon."

"Hello, Malon; I'm Impa," the woman's voice was barely above a whisper. "I've heard that name before."

"You've heard…" Malon looked at Impa for a moment, trying to process what she had just heard. She knew her name wasn't all that common... and then she realized something. "Link; where's Link? He snuck into the castle earlier. I tried to stop him but…"

"Your friend is gone, Malon," Impa stated. "I sent him away from here, but he's safe."

Malon looked about ready to burst into tears. Her closest friend in the world would abandon her in such a forsaken place... she couldn't believe such a heartbreaking thought. "He… he left me here?"

"He truely wanted to come back for you, but I convinced him that it was far too dangerous. I'm sorry." Impa knew that the news was leaving Malon heartbroken. In some ways, Malon reminded her of the Princess, especially with that look in her eyes. They were so similar to the Princess's when she found out her mother had passed so tragically; heartbroken and lost. The memory wasn't one Impa liked to relive, so it only made delivering such news, even to a girl she had just met, that much harder.

But Malon shook her head and replied, "He'll come back for me. He will come back; I know he will."

Impa didn't immediately reply but she thought, _I hope you're right._

* * *

As the light of the morning sun crept into the royal halls of the castle, its beams shone down on Ganondorf as he was standing by the window. He hated the sun; detested it even. He hated the alluring light and the warmth that came with it, especially since the Hylian people loved it so. He preferred the harsher desert sun and the winds of Gerudo Valley compared to the gentle sun and winds that existed in Hyrule, or he was at the very least more used to Gerudo Valley. Tiring of the sunlight already, Ganondorf took to the vacant throne of the dearly departed King and there he sat, even placed the heel of his boot on one of the armrests. He slipped into deep thought, rubbing his chin with his index and middle finger at the same time while tapping his free foot on the floor, not really thinking of anything in particular for a long time.

As Ganondorf contemplated, Nabooru and two of Ganondorf's Moblin minions approached. They kneeled before him and waited for their time to speak, a moment that would only come when Ganondorf allowed it. Ganondorf didn't immediately signal Nabooru or the Moblins to speak as he was still deep in thought. He was possibly thinking of how many ways he could torture these minions of his if they were delivering bad news to him. The two Moblins weren't flinching at his presence… until he glared directly at them. Like clockwork, they flinched in fear of the man in the black armor as he stared icily at them. Nabooru however remained ever stoic in his presence as if like a statue.

"What news do you deliver," he asked, his voice icy. "Have you determined how the Princess escaped my reach?"

Nabooru didn't answer, which was expected of her, so one of the Moblins replied in her stead, "We've searched throughout the castle thoroughly, my lord, and found a hidden passage leading out the hall. It has yet to be determined where it leads."

"To a safe haven, I assume." Ganondorf concluded grimly.

"We will follow the passage, master," said the other Moblin, who was more fearful of Ganondorf. "We will bring the Princess back to you."

"That won't be necessary," Ganondorf said as he rose from the throne. "By now, the Princess is long gone beyond our reach, beyond the walls surround the city. To chase after her now would be futile," Ganondorf paused to think for a short while before a sly smirk crept onto his face, he declared, "Nabooru, fetch my horse; we make for the Royal City Square." With that, Ganondorf draped his cloak over his shoulders and stormed off.

* * *

In the early hours of the day, the Royal City was gripped in turmoil due to a horde of Moblins who came from the road that led to Hyrule Castle. Any resistance, no matter how slight, was quickly pacified by the brutes as they notoriously took a malisious liking to taking things over. Many of the people in the Royal City Square were sent scrambling for safety while the Moblins chased after them, grunting and growling at every one of them without pause and especially without mercy. There was still some small resistance from the guards, but they were outmatched by the barbaric approach the Moblins brought down on them.

The citizen, most of them being non-combatants, scurried into the nearest possible form of shelter they could find while the Moblin cut down the last vestige of resistance from the few remaining guards. The rest were forced to surrender and were herded in with the other citizens. After the chaos had settled, Ganondorf rode down from the castle on his black stallion, arrogant and proud of the chaos around him. Nabooru rode alongside him on her horse and gave the dead guards around her no though at all, as if she couldn't see them. Ganondorf gave them less as he stepped down from his steed. He unsheathed his sword from his belt and held it fast, the tip of the blade tapping on the ground.

"Ladies, gentlemen… children," he said paying special attention to the terrified children who were clinging to her their parents. "It is my great regret to inform you that your precious King is dead. Your Princess and the heir to the throne of Hyrule, has abandoned you. She has chosen to flee and save herself rather than stay to fight for her kingdom."

Suddenly, one of the surviving city guards sprung forth and bellowed, "You're lying, Ganondorf. Princess Zelda would never abandon us to you." He was quickly knocked down and pacified by one of the Moblins.

"As I was saying; you need not fear for your future for I, Ganondorf of Gerudo Valley, declare myself your new ruler. Martial Law shall be imposed and any who choose to defy my rule shall be punished accordingly… and with extreme prejudice," In a sudden flash, Ganondorf raised his sword up and pointed the blade at the horrified citizens. "I assume that there shall be no objections, yes?"

He waited for a response regardless of how feeble it would've been. These people were trapped under the whim of a madman and they knew it. Ganondorf knew it, and that was why he wouldn't be challenged. Giving the people no further thought, he returned to his steed and rode back to the castle with Nabooru following close by. That was when Nabooru began to grow dizzy and confused, even shaking her head and lightly moaning. Then she began gazing around and she realized she had no idea where she was, because it wasn't Gerudo Valley.

Ganondorf took notice of his companion's addled state and inched his horse closer to hers. He brought his hand to her face, balled it into a fist and focused. The Crest of Power shined brightly and blindingly. All Nabooru had to do was look at the light and she grew stoic once again. The last thing Ganondorf needed was for Nabooru to turn against him, hence the reason for the spell he had placed on her prior to his invasion of Hyrule Castle. Once he had all three pieces of the Triforce in his grasp and if Nabooru was to break free of the spell again, she wouldn't be able to stop him. No one would.

* * *

It was already around noon where the sun reached its apex in the sky and was shining down on Link and Zelda as their unexpected journey was underway. They hadn't said a word to each other since they left the city, mainly because they had nothing worth saying to the other. Zelda was ahead of Link, walking briskly and with purpose. Link trailed behind her; not too far, but far enough that he didn't have to hear her speaking. As he was walking, he noticed a stone wall with a wooden entryway nearby. Link recognized the structure as Lon Lon Ranch, the home of Malon and Talon and the place he'd been calling his own since his youth. Seeing it so barn without either Malon tending to Epona or Talon cooking supper saddened him. He knew he had to find some way to get them back home if it was the last thing he could to.

In the middle of his thoughts, he heard something strange; an odd sounding grumbling noise that almost sent him running. Hearing it again, he realized that it was him; well, his stomach anyway. Zelda was still walking mindlessly on her own path. When she finally realized she could no longer hear Link's footsteps, she turned around to see that Link had halted seemingly for no reason. She waited for him to look her way for a long while before they exchanged wary glances.

"Is there any particular as to why you're stopping?" Zelda inquired. She knew she had a job to do and she needed to get it done as soon as possible, and she wasn't in the mood for wasting time.

Link was just on the verge of replying when his stomach grumbled again and hoped that the Princess hadn't heard. "You know, it's a long walk to Kokiri Forest from here. We might want to consider stopping somewhere for supplies."

"There's no time for that. Let's go." She turned to continue walking on.

"What's your hurry, Princess," Link frowned. "It's not like the Moon's going to come crashing down on us; we can afford a delay or two."

Zelda stopped again and exclaimed with anger, "No, we can't. The longer we wait the more damage Ganondorf will cause until he gets what he is after. We can't delay."

"Look, I get that you want to save your kingdom and all, but even you can't do much on an empty stomach." Link matter-of-factly noted.

"That's why you're stopping? Because you're hungry," Zelda said incredulously. "You didn't even think to grab any food before all this started."

"Hey, the circumstances weren't exactly in my favor. Plus, your bodyguard was dragging us all over the place." Link said.

"She's was trying to save us. Stopping now to have a late breakfast while all of Hyrule is at stake would be an insult to her efforts," Zelda snapped. "Now, let's go; we mustn't delay." Then no sooner did the Princess take one step forward, her stomach suddenly grumbled.

With a sly grin, Link asked, "You were saying?"

"Fine," Zelda said defeated. "What would you suggest?"

"See that stone wall over there," Link said pointing at the structure. "That's where I live with Malon and her father."

"You live in a cave?" Zelda mocked.

"It's a ranch," Link corrected with slight irritation. Yes, he didn't always say the best of things about his home all the time, but he certainly didn't want to have someone like the Princess talking it down as well. "C'mon." With that, Link started toward the ranch, not really caring whether she was following or not. He wanted to eat and eat he shall.

Zelda was slow to follow Link since she still found him rather untrustworthy, even more so that he even had a piece of the Triforce like she did. The Crest of Courage; it sounded ridiculous that a common thief was chosen to bear it, but what could Zelda really do about it? She couldn't remove the crest from Link unless she cut off his hand, which was not an option. Zelda looked back across the Great Plains toward the wall that obscured the Royal City from view, then back towards the opposite direction of the Great Plains. By the time she and Link reached Kokiri Forest, it would be nightfall. Who know what sort of creatures would appear by then? Shaking her head in frustration, Zelda followed Link to the stone wall of Lon Lon Ranch.

* * *

As it turned out, following Link to Lon Lon Ranch was the right call for Zelda once they reached the entranceway. The sun was seemingly zipping across the sky toward day's end, though it barely the mid-afternoon. Link was already passed the entranceway into the ranch with the slightly more reluctant Zelda following behind him. Passed the entranceway and through the stone wall, they reached the main area where the house and horse stables were sitting adjacent of each other. Far up ahead was the corral where the horses were allowed to gallop. Zelda felt a little bit different being at the ranch; it was so tranquil and peaceful that she felt like she could actually live there.

Link approached the door and reached under the welcome mat, pulling a small key out from under it. He fitted the key into the hole, turned and opened the door with no trouble at all. Again, Zelda was somewhat reluctant to follow, but she did regardless; it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go in search of food. Once she stepped through the threshold, Zelda was looking around at the modest surroundings of the house. It was such a stark contrast to what she was used to in her own home. It had the basic essentials, including a kitchen, a living area ,and even a fireplace all made of simple woods and stones. Link was in the kitchen where he opened one of the lower cabinets and pulled out a loaf of bread and a knife.

"You live here?" she asked.

"Sure do. It may not look like much compared to your castle, but it's got it where it counts; and it's home," Link exclaimed while slicing off a piece of bread from the loaf, feeling relieved to be in a home that he had sort of a love-hate relationship with. "Here, eat this." He tossed a piece to Zelda, who barely caught it in her hands.

Zelda took a small bite out of the bread and negatively reacted to the taste of it, almost needing to spit it out before forcing herself to swallow the small piece of food. "It's a bit stale."

"Yeah, well it's better that starving to death," Link said while chewing on his portion of bread. "Wait here; I want to grab some things from upstairs."

Link was already on his way upstairs, likely to his room Zelda imagined. When he got there, Link knelt down by a basket at the foot of his bed and opened it. Inside were several items from his childhood, including a slingshot and a boomerang. Seeing them brought back some fond memories for Link. He could swear that he heard the laughter of children in his mind. The kids were of course himself and Malon as they played together years ago. Link picked up the boomerang, his favorite item, and traced its edges with his finger. It'd been so long since he last held it, and maybe longer since he last used it. It reminded him of those times when he and Malon played Catch with it. The slingshot on the other hand often got Link in trouble with the chickens. Link cringed when he remember how the chickens chased him around the field.

Still, the items brought back good memories, but they also made him think of Malon. He was still cursing himself for leaving her behind at the castle knowing he couldn't get back in to save her. There wasn't much he could do about it; not now anyway, but he still wished that there was something he could do. So, Link gathered the boomerang, the slingshot and a few other items and placed them in a satchel he found hanging on the wall. Knowing that the journey was going to be a long, Link resolved to gather whatever rations he could carry. That would include plenty of bread, vegetables and milk. Picking up the satchel, Link head back downstairs to the kitchen to gather the necessary supplies, but when got there, Zelda was nowhere to be found.

"Zelda? Zelda…" Link twice called out before rushing outside. "Zelda," he called out again while rushing toward the corral. "Oh, she didn't…" Link stewed before he suddenly heard a sound.

The sound was coming from the horse stables across from the house and Link headed back there. Once he was inside, Link hustled through until he was inside the stables. Most of the horses were calm and rested, and Link eventually noticed Zelda kneeling by the farthest stable. She was stroking the head of Epona, whispering to her when she noticed a slightly befuddled Link standing across from her.

"What?" she asked.

"I thought you'd snuck off from here." Link said as he approached.

"Wait; were you actually worried about me?" Zelda said with a sly smirk.

"No," He deadpanned. "But you're bodyguard friend made me promise to look after you."

"Impa knows that I can take of myself," Zelda claimed, to which Link rolled his eyes. Then Zelda said, "She's beautiful, by the way. Your horse…"

Link huffed and knelt beside Zelda. "Her name's Epona. Malon and I raised her together," Link touched the young horse's head, causing her to shake a little bit. "For what's it's worth, I think she likes you," he added right before Epona bit into his hair, causing Zelda to laugh. Link quickly added, "Me? Not so much."

Zelda still couldn't help but chuckle before she stated, "You and this girl, Malon was it? It seems like you two are very close."

"Yeah, well she's a good friend; more than I deserve," Link stood. "But after leaving her behind in the castle, she deserves a better friend than me." Then Link walked away, leaving Zelda with Epona.

Seeing the way Link walked off seemingly in shame, Zelda began to sense a certain feeling of guilt in the him. Seeing that, she seem to understand Link a little more than she had thought she ever would; there was more to this boy than she was expecting. Only time would tell.

* * *

Author's Note: It's amazing what one bad review can do for a person, because that one bad review (that I deleted) motivated me to keep going with this story. Maybe that was what I needed, I don't know, but it worked.

Anyway, the journey has officially begun for Link and Zelda with a couple more references to the Legend of Zelda games, particularly the slingshot, the milk and the always wonderful boomerang. There was also the attacking chickens and the falling Moon, the latter being a reference to Majora's Mask.

Ganondorf is still being his typical evil self and hinted at using some kind of spell on Nabooru. That's sort of a reference to Twinrova from Ocarina of Time.

Again, thanks to **Moon13Dreams** for the addition content. So go ahead and review, be it good or bad. Either way, the motivation will be welcome.


	9. No More Horsing Around

Disclaimer: A funny thing happened recently; I deleted this story due a personal lack of interest and a myriad of distractions. But I brought it back up to be continued regardless of how many or few review it ever receives.

A certain beta-reader of mine inspired me to continue.

I don't own the rights to the Legend of Zelda.

* * *

Chapter VIII

Night fell on Lon Lon Ranch, meaning that the journey to Kokiri Forest would unfortunately have to be postponed until the following morning. It also meant that, until then, Zelda no choice but to take temporary residents in Link's quaint home. It wasn't exactly something the Princess was used to since she had lived her whole life in the vast halls of her father's castle rather than a somewhat more confined space like Link's home. The house itself was something of a hobble than a real home in her opinion, but she wasn't going to say that to Link's face. She needed to be gracious that he was even allowing her to stay the night, especially since she knew that the two of them weren't on the best of terms, being that he unintentionally broke into her room; at least, she hoped it was unintentional. Also, she was sure that one wrong word about his home would land her a bed in the stables with the horses.

Zelda made sure to not utter a negative word about him home and, surprisingly, there wasn't as much tension between them as she thought there would be. It was actually relatively peaceful. Something else surprised her about Link that night. As he busied himself in the kitchen, she found that he was actually a pretty decent cook. Not as extravagant or as graceful as her palace chefs, but he showed enough skill to prove that he knew what he was doing, so she kept her mouth shut. Once he was done, he handed the Princess a plate of food that was mix of bright fruits and vegetables with a side of fresh milk. It wasn't quite the feast that the ill-fated banquet was, but it was at least something that would fill her growling stomach.

The sound of an owl hooting just outside the house startled Zelda a bit. According to Link, the Great Plains tended to get very dangerous at night, beginning to trail on about the various creatures he encountered when he was younger. As Link took a few supple bites from his plate of food, Zelda couldn't help, but wonder if there was actually more to this boy than she first thought. All she really knew about him was the he was very stubborn and sarcastic, two personality types that tended to irk her the most; but, for a moment, she saw something different in him. He actually appeared more personable than when they first met, even though that occurence was questionable.

After a couple long minutes, Link glanced up at the Princess, discovering her quizzical gaze focused on him. "What?"

Her eyes widened as she quickly averted her gaze by taking a bite of her food, replying with a short, "Nothing."

Link still produced a small chuckle, finding amusement in her unusual, almost nervous mannerisms. "Not used to these sorts of living conditions, huh?"

"It's… a stark contrast to living in the castle; not quite as glamorous or regal or well kept or…"

"…big?" He added with a cocked eyebrow, causing Zelda to laugh a bit; it was a light and welcomed sound that softly reverberated off the walls of the nearly silent house. "You know, I didn't always live here. I actually, kind of, broke in one night; in fact, it was this very room," He chuckled before adding, "I've been _overstaying_ my welcome ever since."

"Did you," Zelda replied almost unsurprised; considering how she met Link, she wondered if he ever met anyone in a proper manner. "If you don't mind my asking, where were you parents at the time? I'm sure thy wouldn't have approved."

Link fell completely silent to her statement and Zelda knew she stepped into forbidden territory. For awhile, she didn't think he was going to reply to her. "Um, well, I don't really remember my parents. I... I've been an orphan for a long time."

"Oh, I see." The Princess looked away, taking a sip of her milk.

Link took another small bite of his meal before rising from of his seat. "Yeah," he said. "I'd rather not talk about it."

Taking his plate, Link briskly rushed up the stairs to his room, giving off the sence that he to be alone for the remainder of the evening. When a door shut on the floor above, Zelda felt regrettably foolish. She really should've known better than to inquire about Link's childhood the way she did. But she would argue with herself on how was she supposed to know that was an orphan? It wasn't like he advertised that he didn't have a family; in fact, she thought that the Malon girl he often talked about was his sister or something. That thought was thrown out the window with his orphan statement. Zelda considered going up to his room to apologize to Link for her baseless assumptions, but really, she had nothing to offer. She knew that wouldn't make him feel any better with an old wound beginning to fester. That made her feel even more of the fool that she wanted to admit, but couldn't.

Meanwhile, Link was up in his room and had set his plate down on the modest sized table by the window. He sat down at the edge of his bed and thought long and hard about a myriad of things. Most of those thoughts were centered on how the past 24 hours had gone so very wrong, worse than anything he could've imagined. He knew the moment that Talon said they were going to be on cleanup duty for that castle that it was going to be a bad day, but not as bad as it turned out to be. He still figuratively kicked himself for leaving Malon behind at the castle at the mercy of that madman. Link wouldn't dare say it, but he seriously considered handing Zelda over to Ganondorf in exchange for Malon, but it wasn't in him to do that. Link might've spent his adolescent years as a thieving street urchin, but wasn't callous enough to hand over the Princess of Hyrule to a psychopath like Ganondorf; even if it ment Malon would be safe. Besides, he doubted that a madman like Ganondorf would actually meet his end of any bargain.

Looking down at his hand at the currently faint Triforce symbol, Link pondered just how and why he, out of all the living Hylians of the realm, was chosen to go serve the Goddesses by holding one of the piece of the fabled Triforce. Zelda was probably-_had _been wondering the same thing from the moment they first met. Link kept telling himself that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time for whatever stupid reason; and the reason was that he was being his very stupid self. Seeing the Triforce symbol on his hand, Link really couldn't help thinking it was random that he had it at all. So why was it that he felt like it was anything _but_ random?

* * *

_((He was running as fast as his feet could carry him, lightening streaking out from the morbidly dark clouds that hung high above. He was beginning to tire, but he wasn't about to let that thing catch him._

_**Do not look back**__, he told himself as he forced his legs to move faster. Despite that thought being chanted repetitively, but he did and he saw… it. That Great Beast from before and it was chasing him again, snarling and snorting as it charged faster towards him. He could almost smell its foul breath wrapping around his body, as if it was right on top of him at all times. No matter where he ran, the Great Beast seemed to always be right there biting at his heels. It was never anywhere, but on him,;chasing and hunting him no matter where he went. Then, as he looked back again, the Great Beast was suddenly gone._

_That's when something felt wrong to him. Why would the Great Beast suddenly stop pursuing him? Without warning, he was thrown off his feet by a flash of yellow light. The ground felt like concrete, cold and hard as it refused to cushion his fall. He was slow to recover as he caught the sight of something else. A lone figure on a black steed made entirely of shadows loomed over him. The figure's face was concealed by a mask that resembled a skull with horns on either side. The eyes glowed a sickly yellow hue; it was like a Phantom of shadows and it was staring straight through him to see into his very soul._

_The Phantom laughed at its prey and made him stand up, forcing him into running for his life once more. Just as it was before, the Phantom kept an even pace with him. It was utterly relentless in its pursuit. He tried and tried, running as fast as he possibly could, but he simply couldn't outrun the Phantom. Try as he might and struggle as he did, the Phantom wouldn't be denied. It laughed as it continued to pursue its target, who'd finally fell to his knees exhausted. The Phantom circled around him like a vulture of darkness. Then, for the first time, the Phantom spoke…_

"_You will never escape me." In the next moment, the Phantom hurled a huge ball of grim, yellow energy at him. All was dark.))_

* * *

Link sat straight up out of bed, breathing rapid and shallow huffs. Beads of sweat were running down the side of his face which he wiped away after registering that he was in his room as he had been before that horrid nightmare. Looking around, Link noticed the only remaining scraps of food on his plate and realized that he must've fallen asleep without finishing it. But his unfinished meal was the least of his worries; it was that dreaded nightmare again. Link was still trying to figure out what it meant and why he was having the same for who knew how long…

Then it occurred to him that it was morning of the following day, roughly twenty-four hours since the banquet begun. Had it really been that long? The half-eaten meal indicated as much to him. But then something else had occurred to the reluctant youth; Zelda. Where was Zelda? He thought for sure that the impatient Princess would've woken him up by now with a screaming fit, accusing him of one thing or another.

He had a bad feeling in his gut as he grabbed his gear from off the floor, rushing out of his room and down the stairs to the kitchen. Zelda wasn't there and her plate of food was entirely cleaned. Link rushed outside, needing to squint his eyes amid the morning sun. His first instinct was to check out the fenced area where the horses were usually to gallop, but then it hit Link and he bolted into the horse stables.

Just as he thought, Zelda wasn't there; neither was Epona. The pen where Epona was usually kept was left open while the rest where secured, the horses still resting. Link was on the verge of tearing his own hair out knowing that that stubborn Princess just absconded with Epona , not even bothering to drag him with her. Heck, if anything happened to her, he knew that her bodyguard would have his head on a platter. In his haste to catch up to her, Link picked out the second most reliable horse in the stable, a strong male stallion named Ingo, through the saddle on the horse's back and unlocked the gate.

As he took Ingo outside to the field, Link was muttering, "Of all the stupid, idiotic, irresponsible, bone-headed…" Link hopped onto Ingo and continued his diatribe with an angered scowl. "…childish, reckless, stubborn and asinine stunts that girl could've pulled. Let's go, Ingo. Yah!"

In a heartbeat, Link rode Ingo out of the front entrance of the ranch and out into Hyrule Field. The first thing that hit Link was a brisk, warm breeze coming from the west. Link stopped Ingo for a split second to think about where Zelda had gone. It wasn't that hard to figure out that she was headed for Kokiri Forest, south-east of the ranch, so Link reared Ingo around and bolted in that direction. It didn't take as long as Link thought it would, spotting a distant object in the distant ahead of him after only a few minutes. The sunlight shimmered on a sparkling white object that was waving back and forth.

_Epona!_ Link pressed forward with Ingo as they raced across the field. Epona was still well ahead of them, but Link could tell she wasn't alone. Zelda was clearly riding her on towards Kokiri Forest. Link was fuming over Epona being taken by a Princess as he drove Ingo faster. The minute, the second he caught up to Zelda, Link knew he was going to be relentless about giving her an earful.

Still well up ahead, Zelda rode atop of Epona as the young mare galloped across Hyrule Field. She was still so intent on not wasting time, that she didn't even bother to wait for Link to awaken this morning. He would've slowed her down anyway whether he possessed the Crest of Courage or not. She still refused to acknowledge that he was one of the Crest bearers, like it was some sick joke. It was then that Zelda could hear the faint cries of Link from well behind her. She looked back and saw the boy riding after her on his own horse. Instinctively, Zelda reared Epona back to a slow walk and allowed for Link to catch up with her, glaring at him. He glared back. A stare down ensued as Link caught up to her, stopping Ingo right beside Epona.

"Okay, Princess, what in the blazes are you doing?!" he demanded.

"What does it look like?" Zelda replied flatly." I'm going to Kokiri Forest, with or without you. Is that acceptable to you?"

"No, it's not acceptable to me, and neither is stealing _my_ horse from _my_ ranch." Link snapped.

Zelda laughed out loud, "_Your_ horse? I didn't see your name branded on her backside. Besides; she doesn't really like that well, does she?"

"That's beside the point. I let you spend the night at my ranch where I grew up, even though you've proven to be nothing but a thorn in my side," He stated even more incredulously than normal. "And you repay me by absconding with Epona while I'm asleep!"

"The way I see; we're even. You broke into my castle, into my bedroom no less, and may have stolen something that wasn't yours. How do I know you didn't take something from there?"

"I didn't steal anything from your stupid bedroom. How could I steal anything with all the craziness that was happening in there to begin with?" Link asked rather matter-of-factly.

"It's not impossible to use all that confusion to abscond with something that wasn't yours. Honestly, I've seen it more times than I'd care to remember." She snapped.

"If that's the case, you're welcome to search for whatever I _**didn't**_ steal," Link snapped back and then added, "You'll have to be very thorough."

"Ugh, I wouldn't lay one finger on your filthy person." Zelda cringed. "I bet you haven't bathed in days!"

"So, you _**do **_bite. This is going to be a _**fun**_ ride to Kokiri Forest." Link snapped and then rode off south east to where Kokiri Forest was located, while Zelda remained where she had Epona stopped. Apparently, taking the horse the way she did without asking wasn't the wisest move; too late to change course now.

* * *

The forthcoming gallop to Kokiri Forest was long and somewhat awkward. Neither Zelda nor Link had spoken a single word since the early morning hours of the journey. Link seemed to still be annoyed with the Princess for taking Epona without permission, especially with Epona being Malon's favorite. Zelda figured that with her being royalty, she didn't have to ask for permission. But she had to accept that things were different outside of her home, which now was under the control of Ganondorf. Zelda's father was dead, her bodyguard captured and maybe also dead. Link had his own stake in the situation with his friend Malon and her father prisoners of Ganondorf, along with any surviving prisoners from the banquet.

She didn't try to show it, but Zelda felt like a fool for stealing Link's horse and forcing him to try to track her down. It wasn't like she planned it; it was out of desperation. The longer she waited, the more control Ganondorf would and could exert over the Royal City and possibly all of Hyrule if he ever achieved his mad goals. Zelda wasn't even sure if Link was aware of such an issue, or if he even cared. Clearly, there was a certain lack of continuity between them; a lack of trust. They simply didn't even like each other, as if that wasn't obvious enough. To imply that the two thoroughly despised the other was a gigantic understatement.

As much as Zelda loathed Link, Link felt almost exactly the same way. He still felt like he shouldn't even be involved in all of this, stuck on the thought that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Zelda still dismissed him as some lowly thief who may or may not have stolen something from the castle before the siege started, yet there she was was riding Epona, Link's and Malon's horse, without permission. Link was about a heartbeat away from dismissing Zelda as a hypocrite. He had half-a-mind to throw Zelda off of Epona, take Epona back to the ranch, and abandon this stupid journey he was unwillingly set on in the first place.

There were still certain stake involved; Zelda wanted to save her kingdom, her home, and Link wanted to rescue Malon, his childhood friend. There was no way either of them would be able to accomplish their individual goals alone. Hence as much it made them collectively cringe, they had to work together, like it or not. And neither of them liked it one bit.

Only after a long ride did the pair come to a stop near of archway composed of two trees standing side by side. A path ran between them into a stone alcove leading… somewhere. Dismounting from Epona, Zelda approached the path to examine it. Link followed suit only because he didn't trust Zelda with Epona. At least Ingo didn't try to eat his hair. Since he had the compass in hand, Link held it up to the path. The compass was pointing directly into the path, which meant that Kokiri Forest was just beyond.

"I guess we're walking from here," he put the compass back in the satchel. Then glancing at Zelda, he cleared his throat and said, "Ladies first."

Zelda glared menacingly at Link for his comment, to which Link simply grinned right back at her mockingly. She suddenly replied childishly, "Peasants last." Then she took Epona and walked up the path.

Link's grin was wiped from his face as he followed with Ingo. He then muttered, "Stuck up Princess!"

"Childish miscreant."

"Arrow-touting teacher's pet." Link snapped.

"Ranch hand drop-out." Zelda snapped back.

"Self-loving know-it-all."

"Self-serving malcontent."

They went on and on with the banter as they entered the forest with the horses in tow. Neither of them were aware of a large, dark brown feathered owl atop one of the trees, watching them with it amber eyes intently and almost… thoughtfully.

* * *

Author's note: I'm a stop there for now. Not sure if this will get any reviews or not, but I'm not going to give up on this story… not this time.

So anyway, I've made a couple references to the games, including the Phantom in Link's dream which was a reference to Phantom Ganon in Ocarina of Time. The horse that Link rides is named Ingo, which is a reference to a character also in Ocarina of Time.

Speaking of horses, Zelda is the one riding on Epona which is sort of a departure from the games. Finally, the bickering between Link and Zelda was inspired by an actual love/hate relationship I have with a friend. No comment.


	10. I Don't Like You, You Don't Like Me!

Disclaimer: I think this story is starting to draw some reviews. Not many, but it's better than none at all. With some help from Moon13Dreams, we'll keep it going.

Legend of Zelda is the property of Nintendo.

* * *

Chapter IX

The first thing that Zelda and Link noticed about Kokiri Forest was the overwhelming warmth. Even with the abundance of trees and shrubs and a hint of moisture in the air, the morning sun managed to shine down brightly into the forest. It was quite the beholden sight, almost mesmerizing as the suns rays made the colors of the forest illuminate their path that continued deeper into the serene grove.

The mismatched duo was only two days or more into their journey, walking their respective steeds through the forest. Both spent their time in silence taking in the feeling of belonging within the forest. The knowledge of the recent chaos of the castle seemed rather distant now as they traveled further into the brush. They could hear the happy chirping of birds and the flowing of small rivers in the distance, the tones so pure that is gave the pair a great peace to them; everything within sight had been untouched and undisturbed by the madness that lay outside the boarders of the forest. All the chaos seemed so far away, as if the forest was too far out to be bothered with anything other than peace; it was a safe haven.

Though the two wary travelers felt the tranquility within their beings, they could also feel the undeniable heat. The warm, moist air made the pair sweat little by little. It reached the point where Zelda removed her wrap cap, which greatly troubled her traveling partner. Link was on the verge of shouting at her to put the cap back on out of concern that something or someone working for Ganondorf might find them, but they were in a forest. Ganondorf didn't seem like the sort of person that liked forests. On top of that, Link didn't feel the need to disturb the quiet just to bellow at Zelda for no reason. Not yet anyway. He was sure that the stillness of the forest wasn't going to last very long with the two of them wondering around in it; a fight or something was bound to happen at one point or another. Zelda had to wipe the sweat from her face and as she did, she failed to notice the small outcropped branch on the ground.

In a sudden painful moment, Zelda tripped and fell almost on her face. Link immediately broke into laughter and wouldn't stop, needing to lean against a tree to not topple over onto the grassy carpet that lay below his feet. Zelda's face went red and her eyes widen with utter embarrassment. She had always been raised within a graceful culture, always looking up to those queens who looked as if they were gliding instead of walking. To have such an embarrassing incident, especially in front of a petty thief such as Link, shamed her.

She glared at Link, who only stopped laughing for a split second before breaking down into more laughter. He held onto his gut as he continued laughing, his grip on the tree slipping to make him collapse to the ground on his rear, all while still laughing. It irked Zelda to think that her sudden fall resulted in probably the funniest think that Link had ever seen in his life.

"That wasn't funny." she snapped.

"Are you kidding," Link asked in between every chuckle. "I don't think I've laughed so hard in my life. I mean, after all the flak I've been taking from you so far, so I figure your little tumble was worthy comeuppance."

"I'm surprised you'd even know how to pronounce that word. Now help me up, please." Zelda said and extended a hand.

Link finally stopped laughing even though he still chuckled a bit. Then he replied, "Help yourself; I want to enjoy this moment."

"You want to enjoy a moment in which I might've been seriously injured? Are you really that crude?" Zelda asked.

"Not really, no, but I'd call this poetic justice since you stole my horse," Link started wiping away some possible tears from his face. "Besides, it's not my fault that you're not used to being outside of that castle, in that little bubble you call a life."

Zelda, knowing Link wouldn't lift a finger to help her up, picked herself up of the ground and dusted herself off. She heard Link chuckling in between the miniscule puffs of dirt that formed and vanished within seconds of each other. Her face was still red with embarrassment and she pouted to herself, although Link noticed it. He thought it was unbelievable. The Princess of Hyrule was… pouting. It was too good to be true. In fact, it was almost adorable just watching Zelda try to not look so innocent. Link stopped chuckling to himself and inched closer to Zelda, who was still leering at him.

"You know something, Princess," he said. "You're actually kind of cute when you're angry." With a sly and smarmy grin, Link walked onward, while Zelda found herself twitching an eye.

She spat out, "I hate you."

He whispered back, "Feeling's mutual."

Zelda was still fuming at Link for no other reason than that he showed almost no respect to her. That was fine with her since she didn't fully respect or trust him anyway. As she grew up, she never thought she would spend any lengthy amount of time with someone like him; a lowly thief with no sense of chivalry at all. He infuriated her, to say the least. She had to deal with the death of her mother as a child, needing to be strong enough to not show any weakness to the other nobles so that they wouldn't take advantage of her to get to her father. She needed to train herself to be as flexible and talented with a bow as any man would be. She had just recently lost her kingdom and her father to a man she had loathed from the very start. She had gone through all that hell and this thief showed almost little to no sympathy. She hated him for that, but for better or worse, she was stuck with him for the time being.

Eventually, a faint rustling caught her attention in the bushes just a short distance away, snapping her from her hateful rant. Instinctively, Zelda drew her bow and an arrow and pointed at the source of the rustling sounds that alarmed her. As the silence continued, she bitterly realized Link was right, she wasn't used to being out of the castle walls, let alone a forest. She was just too stubborn and proud to admit; and she was most certainly not going to admit it someone like him. She decided she was wasting time waiting for something to happen, so she put her bow away and unwillingly followed Link into the forest. In her tangent of irritated thoughts, she failed to notice a set of glowing eyes tracking her movements.

* * *

Impa was stirred from her dreamless slumber by the sound of steel grating against stone. She had to force her eyes open, but as soon as she did, she wanted to close them. Ganondorf was standing right in front of her, a Moblin at his side brandishing a club. She wasn't sure how long it had been since the siege. Two days, maybe? Three? It seemed like the days themselves were starting to blend together, and yet, Ganondorf stood before her cocking his head and raising a single eyebrow. He took a single step to his apparently favored prisoner. She was disheveled and filthy, her silvery white hair loose and hanging in strands over her face, barely masking the wounds of the siege. Ganondorf tried to place a hand on woman's face, but she pulled away before the first finger could touch her skin.

"Such a beautiful face, ruined by the horror and desolation of constant battle," he whispered before he finally rested a finger on Impa's disheveled face. "It's a shame that we find ourselves as we are now. We could have been magnificent together."

Impa glared up at Ganondorf eyes; they were the same sickly yellow as they've always been. Then she spit in his face with as much saliva and iron-forged defiance as she could muster. "I'd rather die fighting in constant battle than live as your whore."

Ganondorf frowned and pulled away from the defiant woman. He wiped the spit from his own face, and then struck Impa in the face with the back of his hand. The strike rocked her, sending her head to the side and she cringed at the stinging pain that came soon after. She was able to right her head and spit out a trickle of spit laced with her own blood. Then she raised her head, training her eyes on Ganondorf, and she smirked at him. Ganondorf was glaring right back at her and saw the defiance in her eyes, as if she was daring him to strike again. He was tempted, but he calmed himself, electing to retain his composer in the face of Impa's insolence.

"Be thankful that I allow for you to live at all, Impa, if for no other reason than my own amusement," Ganondorf said before grabbing Impa by the face, hard. "But once I have the Triforce, and the Princess, then perhaps I'll make her my bride, willingly or otherwise. Then, I'll make you both watch as I plunge Hyrule into perpetual darkness."

Ganondorf then forced a hard lip lock on Impa. As soon as he broke the kiss, Impa spit in his face a second time with even more detest than before. Ganondorf simply smirked at his apparent conquest, even chuckling at her. She sneered at him, wanting badly to break free of her bounds and strangle him and not let go until his last breath left his throat. But she knew, as did Ganondorf, that she wouldn't survive. Ganondorf elected on taking his leave, but Impa was far from finished.

"You are a fool on a fool's errand, Ganondorf," she said, drawing the tyrant's attentive gaze. "When the Princess returns, and she will, she will see fit to cast you down into the abyss where you belong. And I will be there to watch you fall."

Ganondorf chuckled at the threat, a veiled threat. "I would stow the idle threats, Impa. I mean to rule this realm and its people, and why should I not?"

"Because you're nothing more than a coward bent solely on the desire for power, a power that you neither understand nor deserve," Impa snapped. "You think yourself above the people of Hyrule and you claim to mean to rule them, but you miss the truth of ruling. The throne would suit you ill."

"Would it now," Ganondorf inquired. "What if I told you that there exist other realms besides our own," Ganondorf paused to let it sink in before continuing. "Imagine it; a realm that exists over a three-day cycle? A world submerged beneath a vast ocean or one that exist in perpetual twilight? So many possibilities."

"You're insane." Impa said.

"Am I? In my exile, I've learned of these worlds and many more like them that you've never known about. I am wise far beyond your comprehension, my dear," Ganondorf stated as though he was genuinely sure of his words. "When I have the Triforce, when have all three crests in possession, so too shall I possess omnipotent mastery of all things."

Impa glared at Ganondorf, glared at the twisted gleam in his disturbingly sickening eyes. "Then I must reiterate my statement; you're not only insane but you're also delusional as well."

Ganondorf sneered at Impa and said, "Well, that is just a matter of perspective, isn't it?"

Then a new voice, young and feminine but strong, bellowed to Ganondorf, "Leave her alone."

Ganondorf turned toward the source of the voice and saw the young redheaded girl in the adjacent cell along with the prisoners from the banquet. Curiously, Ganondorf approached the cell while gazing at the girl that had addressed him so defiantly. The girl backed a single step away from the bars as Ganondorf loomed over her. The bars were the only barriers between them and Ganondorf cocked his head while he gazed at the redheaded girl. A pretty one, he thought, with strength of character to boot. Ganondorf wanted to test that and he did; by slamming the palms of his hands against the bars. The bars reverberated in the cold space and startled both the girl and her fellow prisoners.

Ganondorf chuckled at the sight of the girl now backing away from the bars for fear of her life. Strength of character; eliminated. She was frightened of Ganondorf now. Good! He liked it when people were frightened of him, terrified of him. That meant he was in control of them and they wouldn't dare stand against him.

His deed done, Ganondorf took his leave while the lone Moblin shut the gate to Impa's cell. Impa glared at Ganondorf as he departed, fuming over how he threatened young Malon. At the same time, Impa was impressed with Malon for having shown a small glimpse of bravery for whatever good it did. It at least told Impa that there was still hope regardless of how small it was.

* * *

In Kokiri Forest, Link and Zelda continued their trek through the sometimes thick foliage of plant life. Link seemed to be fairing slightly better than Zelda in terms of knowing his way through, as if he'd been in the forest before. He'd never actually been there, but he just… felt as if he knew his way. Zelda, on the other hand, was having slightly more of an issue getting around. She just wasn't used to traveling through a forest. She had suggested using the horses to travel, but Link either didn't agree or didn't care. Plus, she was having trouble shaking the feeling of being watched, which Link again seemingly ignored. Eventually, Zelda stopped while reigning in Epona from butting her head around. Link slowed, but didn't stop as he pulled Ingo along with him.

"Alright, stop. Stop." Zelda said.

For once, he actually did what she requested, or rather demanded, and stopped; turning to face her with a bit of annoyance. "Now what?"

She was carefully looking around at her surroundings before she replied, "We're not alone out here."

"We brought the horses with us. Of course, we're not alone," Link rolled his eyes. "Let's get going."

"That's not what I meant," Zelda frowned. "I just can't shake this feeling that every move we make is being watched; and not by Ganondorf."

Link had to sign and stated, "You're being a little paranoid, don't you think? How? How would Ganondorf know where we are without actually being here at all?"

"We're not being watched by Ganondorf and he doesn't know exactly where we are," Zelda pointed out. "No, we're being watched by something else in the forest."

"Like I said; you're paranoid."

"You're being judgmental."

"Well, looks like we've finally got one more thing in common," Link stated. "C'mon, let's go."

"How do you figure that we have something in common?" Zelda wondered aloud.

Link stopped short and replied, "Aside from the fact that you don't like me and I don't like you, you've threatened me with a sword, almost shot me with an arrow, insulted me, _and_ stole my horse. That last part came after I allowed you stay the night at my house."

"As I recall, you broke into my castle and invaded my bedroom while I was still there," Zelda countered quickly. "And; don't think I didn't catch you staring at my posterior as we were evacuating."

"Don't flatter yourself, Princess," Link snapped back. "You're not my type anyway."

"For which I am grateful beyond words," Zelda snapped again, this time right in Link's face. "What would further make this day better is if you weren't even here right now."

"Is that right," Link spat back in Zelda's face just the same. "Tell you what, Little Miss High and Mighty; you want me gone, then I'm gone. I've had enough of you pretending like you're better than me, like you think you can push me around and I won't push back. Well, I'm pushing back now, and I say if you want to go on some stupid quest then you go do it without me," Link paused to stare daggers right into Zelda. He was making her think about it. Then Link grabbed the rope to Epona muzzle and finished, "I'll be taking my horse back now. As for you, Princess; you're on your own."

Taking both Epona and Ingo with him, Link took his leave back the way he and Zelda came. Zelda was, for once in her life, utterly speechless. It felt so bizarre given the fact that when they first met, Zelda only saw Link as a thieving coward and a miscreant. But apparently, Link was more than that, and he just showed it Zelda in a way that left the Princess befuddled; and angry, but not at Link. Still, Zelda wanted to shout at Link at the top of her lungs and prove her apparent superiority, but what was the point?

She let Link leave with the horses until he vanished beyond the bushes before continuing on deeper into the forest. Zelda resolved to continue her journey on her own if that was what had to be done. She didn't need Link; that was her thought. Alone like she was, Zelda still couldn't shake the feeling that she was not alone at all even after Link departed. So, she continued on through the forest while carrying her bow at her side. She suddenly heard a light noise like a snapping twig and turned to the source, holding her bow taut. The bushes were rustling slightly just a few feet away from her.

The bushes off to the side were also rustling, and Zelda was starting to get nervous when she started backing away. Then her fears were reinforcement by the sounds of growling and snarling. Zelda took a chance and bolted deeper into the forest, not really knowing where she was going. She still had her bow in hand in case whatever it was that was chasing her now had caught up to her. Zelda looked back briefly and spotted her pursuers; a pack of wolves. There were about five of them, all of them with glowing yellow eyes and razor-sharp fangs frothing at the mouth and all of them were led by a massive Alpha wolf. They appeared hungry and she was the easiest prey in the forest.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, so I'm going to stop here for the time being. Another thank you to Moon13Dreams for her contributions.

Zelda is apparently not used to traveling, much to Link's amusement in the early going. Speaking of Link, it seems he's finally had enough of Zelda frequent berating of him, so he's taken the horses and abandoned her. That turned out to be bad news for the Princess.

I also threw in an extra layer or two for Ganondorf by hinting at an implied past relationship with Impa. He even forced a smooch on her; the bastard.

The existence of other realms besides Hyrule was also implied for those of you who catch the brief descriptions. Hopefully, there'll be more reviews incoming.


	11. It's Hard Being Royalty

Disclaimer: It took some time to get this new chapter up as my betareader was having internet issues, (haven't we all) but we've got it up and running. Reviews are coming around slow and steady but we don't always get what we want. Anyways, enjoy the next chapter.

No ownership of LoZ here; property of Nintendo.

* * *

Chapter X

Zelda could only force herself to run as fast as her legs could carry her with the pack of wolves hot on her trail, their hunger at its peak as the slowly inching closer. She was cursing Link for walking out on her as she weaved herself through the thick brush of the forest, not really knowing where she was heading, yet not caring as long as it got her away from the wild animals hunting her. She also cursed herself for being the unwilling catalyst that caused him to abandon her in the first place. The wolves giving chase afterward made the circumstances so much worse for the sheltered Princess.

Though infuriated by Link and everything about him that put her in this situation, she couldn't allow herself to dwell on the negative for too long. Right now, her only purpose was to run as fast as she was able to and she was. One of her only saving graces was that she at least had her bow; if any of those wolves were to get any closer, she could at very least slow it down. Looking back at her pursuers, she was finding fear in only one wolf out of the pack; the one she assumed to be the Alpha wolf. It was larger than the other members of the pack, at least twice the size of them, with beautifully scary silvery-white fur and razor sharp teeth to match. And, like its fellow wolves, the Alpha was hungry and had its eyes on a certain stranded, unprotected Princess.

Zelda focused on running, or even more importantly, surviving until she could find some form of salvation. She was at least able to watch where she was running. The one and possibly only benefit of having to run for dear life was that one can develop a heightened sense of urgency and awareness, much like Zelda in her situation, and it served the frightened Princess well. She was able to duck below the low hanging branches of several trees and push through the thickest bushes that stood stubbornly in her way. Yet, in their desperate hunger and knowledge of the land, the wolves were able to as well and sooner or later, they were going to catch up. She couldn't continue running forever, though the adrenaline running through her veins made her feel like she could. Despite that rush of energy she felt, Zelda knew that at some point, she was going to have to stop to catch her breath. That meant that the wolves would easily be able to catch her and that was something she certainly had no intention of letting happen.

Desperate in an attempt to avoid meeting with death, Zelda acted quickly, yanking an arrow from her quiver as she continued to run and set it up to her bow while one of the wolves closed in. The rabid beast lunged in from the right side and she took her shot before it could strike her. The arrow hit its mark and the wolf fell dead to the ground, but it was ignored by it companions as they continued to track her. Zelda was preparing another arrow as the next wolf was approaching. This one appeared to be smaller than the first one, but it was no less dangerous than any other member of the pack. This time, as she took a shot at the wolf, the arrow missed. Another of the wolves joined the smaller one in its chase, decreasing the distance between them that she had worked so hard to create.

Cursing herself under her breath, she returned to focusing on running, keeping a careful eye on the wolves that were becoming even more dangerously close to her. As she ran, Zelda was praying to the Goddesses for a miracle that would save her from becoming the wild animals' lunch. She knew that she needed to live to save her kingdom and she wasn't about to let a few hungry wolves stop her from doing that. She had all the intention to make sure that the once beautiful kingdom that her family had been ruling and protecting for so many generations would once again be peaceful as her father had been working so hard to achieve. The Princess was determined with all her heart to finish what the late king had started no matter what the danger, including the one that was pursuing only a few meters behind her.

Eventually, Zelda reached a dead end of thick shrubbery and prickling bushes that were decorated with thousands of sharply tipped thorns. The four wolves quickly caught up to her, the Alpha leading the pack with angry snarls and growls. Zelda's quick hand instinctually prepared another arrow and took a quick, precise shot at the nearest wolf, sending it to the ground in cold, bleeding heap. The remaining wolves circled carefully around their prey, recognizing the danger that she brought them while she readied another of her arrows. It was then that she realized though that she was running out of arrows, she had less than what she needed; there were three of them and there were only a few arrows left at her disposal; one wrong shot would leave her defenseless to the surviving wolf. When one of the lesser wolves finally made a move and lunged at her, she took her bow and knocked the beast aside. Then the Alpha made its move.

Zelda wouldn't have been prepared and likely would've been killed on the spot if a certain streak of green hadn't appeared before her. Whether it was by divine intervention or not, right at the moment when the Alpha was in midair and mere seconds from killing the Princess, Link emerged from out of the brush with a cold look in his eyes. In a quick movement, Link bashed the Alpha back with his shield and sent it back tumbling to the ground with a whimper. The Alpha recovered quickly and was back on all fours with an angered sheen in its eyes as it let out another deep snarl at its new enemy. Link had his sword drawn and his shield out front, prepared for when the befuddled beast decided to strike again. It was only moments before the Alpha attempted to close the distance between itself and it's armed opponent. Link stared back at the Alpha and even bellowed a loud battle-cry in an attempt to scare it away, but the Alpha only snarled back at Link before it quickly lunged forward.

Link thrust his sword forward to drive the Alpha back, to where they were put in the same standstill that they had been in mere moments before. This was done several times within the minute and each of those times, the Alpha backed away. It frequently stalked forward time and time again, waiting for the right time to strike. Then Link swung wide and the Alpha pounded, dropping both to the ground. Link dropped his sword but he still had his shield, and he used it to keep the Alpha from sinking its fanged teeth into him. The Alpha snapped its jaws at him as Link tried to reach his sword that lay only fingertips away from him. The Alpha seemed to be getting closer and closer to his face, forcing Link to hold his shield against it as best he could.

At that point, Link could practically smell the Alpha's breath all over his face and knew that time was quickly running out before the Alpha would finally reach him. Then, without warning, a single arrow pierced the Alpha's shoulder, the momentum sending it flying off of Link. He looked back to see that Zelda had her bow in hand, the other two lesser wolves were down recovering from getting knocked away. The Alpha recovered, clearly wounded by the arrow, was still determined to attack. The Princess let loose with another arrow just as the Alpha became airborne. The arrow caught the Alpha strait in the abdomen and it fell to the ground beside Link, breathing shallow. She fired one more arrow for good measure between the Alpha's eyes, leaving it dead in a bloodied mess on the ground. The lesser wolves growled at the two Hylians before they retreated into the forest.

Link picked up his sword and stood upright as he brushed the dirt off of his person before placing the blade back in his sheath. Zelda kept her eyes on the man before her with confusion brewing within her. After a few tense moments of silence, she said, "I thought you were finished with me."

Her loathed partner reached into a pocket in his tunic and removed the compass from within. He walked over to her, taking Zelda's wrist and placed the compass in her hand. "I forgot to give you this; figured you might need it."

Looking down at the compass, Zelda wasn't entirely sure if Link had previously snatched it from her or if he'd had it all along. She stared at it for a long time before suspiciously looking back up at him, his blue eyes reflecting the irritation and detest he had for her. He turned away, walking towards the pair of horses that the Princess hadn't noticed had arrived; she completely forgot about them while she was fighting for her life against the rabid wolves. As Link himself was about to depart with Epona and Ingo for only the second time, Zelda felt something in pit in her stomach quickly form. She was scared of something else happening due to his departure and there wouldn't be able to fend off that danger due to her lack of ammo. Even more, she felt the guilt of their last meeting occurring within her, finding Link to be more than what he had seemed to be at first.

Before he could lead the pair of horses away, Zelda said, "I'm sorry for what I said before."

"I wasn't exactly looking for an apology, but thanks anyway," Link said without facing her. He then turned just enough to glance over her shoulder to see her; there was no immediate exchange of anything except a long, awkward silence before he finally stated, "Look, I don't want to be here anymore than you and I'm pretty sure you want nothing to do with me…"

"That's putting it mildly." Zelda added plainly and unknowingly made Link roll his eyes.

"Okay then, we both want nothing to do with each other," Link said, fully turning towards her and walked over to barely be within arms reach of her, "but I'll tell you what; I'll stick around to help on this little adventure of yours. Like it or not, we both know you won't survive out in the open for even half a day without someone like me to help you. Since I unfortunately happen to be the only one around, you're stuck with me. Truce?" Link extended his hand right then.

Zelda was initially hesitant to take Link's hand, looking between his indifferent face and his hand as she measured her options carefully in her mind. Eventually coming to a conclusion, she accepted the gesture. "This is a temporary arrangement until we find the Master Sword, after which I'll have to decide how best to deal with you."

"What're you going to do to me when this is over," Link wondered aloud. "Throw me in a dungeon? Make me scrub your floors? Or maybe you'll just lecture me to death?"

The Princess narrowed her eyes at Link with aggravation and said, "I'll take those options under consideration. Until then, the correlation between us will be a truce. I warn you, this does not make friends in the least." With that, Zelda walked on and left Link to ponder.

Then he said out loud, "Of course not, Princess. In order for two people to be friends, they kind of have to like each other… which we clearly don't like each other."

Zelda sharply turned to face Link with her eyes still narrow and annoyed. Link responded by grinning right back at her in a way that was almost charming. Zelda just found it disturbing given that Link abandoned her shortly before and was about to again if she hadn't stopped him. And he just continued to smile… at her… as if it was seemingly because he could. Then it hit Zelda like she had been shot with one of her own arrows; with how they hadn't done anything except prove to further inflame the hatred they had for each other, Link could've walked out on her a long time ago, but he never did, aside than that one instance. She realized that he knew that whether or not she liked it, Zelda had to rely on Link to help because they both knew deep down that she couldn't find the Master Sword on her own. She needed Link, which meant she had to trust him; that didn't mean she had to like him.

Reasoning that time was being wasted, Zelda examined the compass. It was pointing in the general direction of southeast. "We should get going. The Old Man said we need to first find three jewels and the first is somewhere in this forest."

"Lead the way," Link said, and Zelda did just that, taking Epona along with her. But then Link added. "By the way; you were right."

"About what?"

"Back at the castle; I kind of was staring at your butt." Link knew his comment would aggravate Zelda and it did, very much so; it was to the point her left eye began twitching and her shoulders tensing up as soon as he uttered those words.

Zelda, with her teeth grinding together, slowly muttered, "Let's… just… go." Then she walked on. Link followed with Ingo while suppressing a sly grin. He got a kick out of irritating the prissy little Princess, finding it a good source of revenge for the way she had been treating him.

* * *

Hours passed in the forest as Link and Zelda traveled together on their respective steeds. They hadn't said a word to each other since the incident with the wolves. They simply followed the directions on the compass that Zelda had in her hand. She still couldn't believe her dumb luck so far. Since entering the forest, she had been viciously accosted by a pack of rabid wolves only to be saved by Link at the last moment; that came after her shrewd dismissal of Link drove him away and allowed the wolves to pursue her in the first place. In hindsight, and she'd never admit it, Zelda was now indebted to Link for coming to her aid even though she had said such rude things to him. One way or another, she was going to silently repay the debt before Link could use it against her.

In the meantime, while Zelda was caught up in her annoyed mental rambling, Link had his own thoughts that were swimming around in his head. He claimed that he was simply returning the compass, but he did more than just that. He vaguely accepted an apology he didn't see coming and then forged a truce with the annoyingly arrogant Princess. He thought that maybe, to Zelda, it was only because he was already involved in the whole ordeal that was centered around her and leaving now didn't really do either of them any favors; but he did have another reason for sticking around.

Though he never would've admitted it, Link admired Zelda's resolve and determination to save her kingdom, so he wanted to see how everything would turn out for her in the end, even if he didn't like her very much at all. In addition to that, it just wasn't in him to abandon someone help he could help no matter what he felt for him. That was a similar reason why Link still felt responsible for leaving Malon behind. He regretted leaving her alone and defenseless against the horde that overthrew the castle, often wondering whether or not she was alright; he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if she wasn't.

After what seemed like hours of traveling, there was one soft sound that began to break the silence of their averse companionship. There were no words shared between the two; only the faint sound of running water nearby. Zelda picked up the pace just a little bit to find the source of the attractive sound with the sweat and dirt that her body had gathered suddenly becoming heavier, Link trailing quietly behind. Within the next few moments, the two came to a sudden stop, entranced by the sight of a waterfall pouring into a pond.

The edges of the pond were surrounded by natural stone formations were found to be calming to Zelda as she dismounted from Epona and knelt by the edge nearest to her and Link. She dipped her hand into the water; it felt warm to the touch. In that moment, the weary Princess felt nearly at peace and seemed to forget all the troubles that had befallen her in the past two days. Then, as quick as the moment came, it ended as Link took a quick, loud sip of the water… right in front of her. Then he let out a light belch, something that highly disgusted her.

Link apathetically looked at Zelda's appalled face and asked, "What? I was thirsty."

"And you felt the need to express your thirst right in front of me," Zelda wondered, to which Link simply shrugged. "Actually, I could use a moment to rest since we've still a ways to go. This pond seems like a perfect place to rest."

"You sure about that?"

"Are you afraid, Link?" Zelda responded with a smirk.

Link simple rolled his eyes, unimpressed by her comeback. "No, but I'd rather not have another run-in by those wolves."

"Indeed. Maybe you should go find some wood so a campfire can be made."

He looked at Zelda with a befuddled glare. "Wait; how did I get volunteered for that?"

"Because I said so; I'm still a Princess, remember?"

"Yeah, and that meant so little against those wolves," Link stated and, immediately, he was met with an infuriated glare from Zelda. Sighing at the sight, Link said, "Okay, okay; I'm going."

Now, Link was the one who couldn't believe his dumb luck, such as it was anyway. Even after he practically saved Zelda from a pack of rabid wolves, she was still bossing him around as she had done before; it was as if he hadn't saved her spoiled little butt in the first place. Instead of telling her off… again… Link found himself impressed by the amount of tolerance he had as he headed on his way further into the forest to gather whatever wood he could find. He'd have to look for any wood on the ground, hidden in the grass under his feet. This was going to take awhile, and Link was wondering exactly what Zelda would be doing in the meantime.

As soon as Link was out of sight for the moment, Zelda sighed to herself and sat on the ground beside the pond. She set her bow beside her and hung her head back to stretch. The pond was pure enough to drink from, which Link so rudely demonstrated only a moment ago. It was also warm enough for a quick dip and clean herself of the filth she had been covered with in her travels. She took another careful look back to be sure that Link had gone far enough to be out of sight before she started removing her outfit. After a few moments, Zelda set her leotard on the ground beside her bow before she unbound her hair, letting the long locks fall softly down and settle on her back. All she had one was a set of simple wrapping around her chest and waist, which made her ever so thankful that Link wasn't around to peer at her as he claimed he had before.

Elsewhere in the forest, Link was gathering the scattered pieces of wood that were either hidden within the tangles of grass on the ground or hanging low from the trees. After finding a pretty decent amount, he stopped to listen to the birds singing in the distance and a light breeze moving through the bushes to create a natural melody that seemed to be echoing throughout the forest. Aside from the wolves from earlier, it was quite peaceful. It almost made Link forget about the conflict back at the Royal City and the Princess that he was stuck with. In his peace, he let out a soft, saddened sigh as remembered what he didn't mean to abandon in the chaos. His first thought was that, when this all was over, he'd want to bring Malon to see the forest.

He soon went back to what Zelda had sent him out to do, keeping Malon on his mind. He continued to think of what kind of things she would do; he knew that she would've gladly jumped into that pond that he had seen earlier, instantly splashing him with water and causing them to get in a water splashing war. He smiled to himself as he began to pick up another stick off the ground. Suddenly, he stopped short of it and listened carefully. He could've sworn he'd heard what sounded like faint laughter… children's laughter.

Back at the pond, Zelda stood under the waterfall, letting the water to pour down on her face. She was brushing her hair with her bare hands and unlike Link, hadn't heard the faint laughter in the distance; nor was she even aware of being watched once again. Yet, without much meaning for it, her instincts began to tell her she wasn't alone, to where she looked passed the edge of the pond in search of whatever could've put her on edge. She saw nothing aside from the lightly rusting bushes. If it were those wolves again, Zelda's only chance would've been to hide. The pond water would've at least washed her scent away.

Meanwhile, Link dropped his pile of wood to the ground and drew his sword and shield. He quickly took a defensive stance while turning around to cover his flank. He knew it couldn't be more wolves; wolves didn't laugh… as far as he knew. The laughter was still too faint to follow, but Link was more than sure he wasn't alone. Then he began to her something else in the distance; the faint, familiar melodies of music. It sounded quick and cheery, even almost festive. Link was sure he was hearing the familiar tunes of a flute, but he was still unsure of its source and whether or not it was a threat.

At the same time, Zelda now couldn't hear anything as she was swimming beneath the surface of the pond. She periodically broke through the water surface to catch a breath while doing a brief series of back and breast strokes before repeating the process again. It was then, when she submerged herself back under the water, that she missed the small hands of two children collecting her belongings with small giggles before returning to the depths of the forest that they had come from. After several minutes under water, Zelda resurfaced again, brushing her hair back and taking a long, deep breath. Indeed, the warm pond water felt very nice. It was time to exit the water, so Zelda made her way to where her belongings should've been. She had to wipe some the water clear of her eyes but once she did…

Link was still out and searching high and low for the faint sounds that only moments ago just subsided. Another sound soon followed after it; a loud screaming that seemed to be coming from the pond. Realizing that it was Zelda, Link quickly sprinted back to the pond. In his haste, he tripped over an uprooted branch and fell. The momentum sent Link flipping over himself and right back on his feet and he kept sprinting, eventually reaching the site of the pond.

"Zelda, what happened…? HOLY…" Link blurted out and stopped and fell back. At the exact same time, Zelda fell back into the pond with another scream. Link sat up shouting, "Zelda…?"

Zelda had only her head above water and she was shouting, "Don't look! Don't look!"

Link was hysterical when he shouted, "Zelda, you're naked."

Zelda shouted back with an angered red painting her cheeks, "You think?"

"Why are you naked?" Link loudly bellowed

"Why did you steal my clothes, you pervert?" Zelda bellowed even louder.

"Why would I even want to steal your clothes?"

Before Link and Zelda could continue trading their accusations, they both heard a sound from a bush nearby. Then, there was the sound of arguing not unlike that between Link and Zelda… just fainter and younger. Link looked back at Zelda, who was still hiding her shame underwater, and motioned her to stay there and keep quiet. Zelda didn't have much choice in the matter and stayed put, and it was less out of self preservation and much, much more out of sheer embarrassment. This was the second time that this boy had seen her in such an unpresentable state, this time being much worse than the first time when she was seen in just her nightgown.

Link drew his sword and crept toward the rustling bushes slowly and silently. He was so much more sure now of the sound of arguing behind the bush. Then he had a change of heart and sheathed his sword, but he held his hand out and ready for anything. By the time he was literally right on top of the bush, Link lunged and drove his hand under it. He had something right away and whatever it was, it was putting up a fight. Link pulled back and found he was holding two children, a girl and a boy, by the collars of their similar green outfits. The girl had light green hair and the boy had read hair and freckles; both were holding a piece of Zelda's leotard.

"Hey, put us down, you overgrown goof." The boy bellowed and folded his arms as he glared up at Link.

"Put you down? Sure, I'll put you down as soon as you return what you stole." Link retorted, not liking the little squirt very much.

"We didn't steal nothing, Hylian." the boy claimed even though he was clearly lying, hence Zelda's leotard being in the two's possession.

"Oh really? What do you call that?" Link asked and pointed at the discarded clothing.

The boy was starting to panic and claimed, "Um, we found it."

The girl then said, "Give it up, Mido. We got caught red-handed. Listen, whoever you are; we were just playing around. We didn't mean to steal your girlfriend's stuff."

Link's eyes bulged at the choice of words from the girl and frowned as he blurted, "She's not my girlfriend. She's not even my friend. But these clothes are hers, so you might want to return them…" he stated pointedly. Then he added in a hushed tone, "…before she talks us all... to death."

The boy and girl were quiet for all of one second before the girl said, "Okay. Mido, return what we stole."

The boy, Mido, pouted and said, "No."

"Mido!"

"C'mon, Saria; we never get anything from the outside anymore." The little boy whined.

"I wonder why," Link snapped and dropped the kid, and then he threw the leotard toward the edge of the pond. "There you go, Zelda. Get dressed so we can move on already."

"Wait a second," said Saria. "Zelda? As is Princess Zelda?"

Zelda poked her head and shoulders above the water and said, "You know who I am?"

"All the kids in the village know who you are," Saria said. "The Great Deku Tree tells so many stories about Hyrule and about the Royal Family."

Zelda stood in the pond still, her body mostly submerged underwater. "The Great Deku Tree," she said. "Can you take us to see him?"

"Sure," Saria said. "Just follow us."

* * *

Author's note: Thanks again to Moon13Dreams for contributing to this chapter.

Zelda's apparantly had a rough day; abandoned by Link, chased by wolves, rescued by Link and then having her clothes stolen by Mido and Saria, both of who make there first appearance in the story. It's not easy being a Princess, is it?

This story still needs some love from the reviewer, so please send a little feedback.


	12. Welcome To Kokiri Village

Disclaimer: I know I shouldn't complain, but I can't help but wonder why I've recieved so few reviews. Maybe it's the pacing of the story but there are those who should understand that good story telling should never be rushed. Again, I'm not complaining. I'm simply voicing my opinion.

Anyway, this story is at least garnering some views so I'll take what I can get. I don't own the rights to LoZ.

* * *

Chapter XI

Zelda and Link followed Mido and Saria through a part of Kokiri Forest that they hadn't been to before, but it seemed like they were going strait towards where they needed to go. As Zelda pulled out the compass, she found that it was actually pointing that exact same direction as they were traveling. She glanced over at Link to show him the compass, to where he only looked back suspiciously at her. The two soundlessly agreed to only think this to be coincidence; as long as they got to where they needed to go in one piece, Zelda thought there was no need to linger too much on it. Link wasn't going to say anything to argue against Zelda's silent order, thinking similarly, but he was still wary of these kids; especially of Mido. Mido was feeling the same wariness towards the two Hylians; he didn't like how Saria had been so quick to accept them and lead them directly to their home hidden in the woods.

Link ignored the look the little runt was giving him and looked over at Zelda again. She was staring at the little green-haired girl in front of her. She was relieved to have gotten her clothes back on after Mido and Saria had stolen them. She was also glad that at least Saria returned them without trouble, rather then being as greedy and rude as her friend was; if Mido were alone, he'd probably would've ran off with them before Link could catch him. The memory of Link running in and seeing her so unpresentable made her fume again. She swore that he'd pay for every mistake and rude gesture he had made towards her as soon as their journey was over.

Mindlessly, she looked over at Link and noticed that he was looking back at her. To his credit, Link stayed relatively silent since she had gotten her clothes back. In fact, he was so quiet that Zelda thought he'd gone mute; which somewhat disturbed her. She had grown used to the yelling and the arguments that the lack of words coming out of his mouth made her antsy. Zelda shuddered at how she seemingly missed the annoying sound of his voice and looked away; she was determined to enjoy the calming silence of the forest for as long as she could one way or another. Link just shrugged his shoulders and turned his gaze away as well. He wasn't aware of what was causing his traveling mate to have such mood swings, which were clear from the expressions on her face, but he didn't particularly care. He just wanted to move on to their next destination as soon as they could. He didn't want to think of anything else, it would only bring him back to the realization of the situation their in and the guilt of leaving Malon behind at the castle. That was something he wanted to correct as soon as possible.

As the forest became more and more dense, Link and Zelda had to tie up Epona and Ingo on a couple of trees before following the two mischievous kids into a nearby hollowed out tree truck. It was dark for a short period of time, but when they came out to the sunlight on the other side, Link and Zelda were stunned to find themselves in a wide open and grassy field rather than more dense woodlands. A series of trees stood protectively around the field where there appeared to be a dozen or so children prancing around, all of them wearing identical green clothing to Mido and Saria. There was a small and shallow pond at the center of the field with a small series of stepping stones in the water. Link also noticed a small, elevated wooden bridge that ran from the top of a tree trunk near the pond to the top of a… Link couldn't believe it; a house?

It dawned on Link and Zelda that the numerous trees in the field were all houses for the children to live in. They had to be hallowed out, but these kids couldn't have done this. They were just kids… weren't they? Seeing them all here in this place frolicking about, it occurred to both of them that there were no adults here. In fact, they were the only fully grown... teenagers in the field at all. The two also noticed something else. With each child, there was also a speck of light hovering around them. It was then that Zelda finally broke the silence.

"They're all children…"

Link was busy looking around when he said, "Okay, I have to ask; where are all the adults?"

Mido stopped short, spun around and bitterly eyed Link. "Adults? They ain't welcome in Kokiri Village and neither are you, loser."

Link's right eye was practically twitching as he lowered his face to meet that of Mido. "Maybe you didn't notice, but I have boots taller than you, runt. Plus I have a very sharp sword that could cut a little twig like you in half; so if I were you, I wouldn't be mouthing off."

There was a long stare down between Link and Mido before Mido kicked Link square in the shin with all his might. Link went down in a heap, holding his shin and cringing to which Zelda sneered and rolled her eyes; she enjoyed the event as a little bit of karma for what he had done earlier. Saria, on the other hand, wasn't too pleased about it.

"Mido!?"

"What?" Mido snapped to which Saria simply pointed him in a direction, and Mido stomped off.

"Sorry about him." Saria said.

Link was on the ground rubbing his shin when he asked, "Is he always that friendly?"

"Well, he's actually one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet…" Saria claimed in defense of Mido, and then she added, "…once you get to know him." Link rolled his eyes in response.

"Saria we haven't much time to waste. We need to speak to this Great Deku Tree." Zelda pointedly stated.

"Of course, Princess. Follow me." Saria said and rushed off to a small alcove passed the pond.

Link was left sitting on the grass still holding and rubbing his shin and cringing under the stinging pain. As he was starting to stand up under the pain, he had little visions dancing his head of how he could get back at Mido, but he knew that would have to wait for later. Link lost sight of Zelda once she and Saria disappeared into the alcove ahead. He started heading in that same direction, walking now with a noticeable limp no thanks to Mido. As he limped on, Link continued to notice how the rest of the children were playing throughout the village. Most of them paid him no mind but some took notice of him, likely because he was with the Princess who'd so far been getting the royal treatment.

As he was walking and the limp was steadily fading away, Link noticed a child nearby trying to lift a rock off the ground; really trying. At first glance, it looked as if the child was laboring to clean up some mess. But then Link saw it wasn't the case; this kid was trying to show off. It was actually kind of amusing to watch, but then Link decided to approach the kid. The kid didn't take an immediate notice of Link, instead still focusing on lifting that single rock off the ground to no avail. Then Link saw what the kid was doing wrong, while the kid noticed him.

"What're you looking at?" he said, to which Link cracked a small smirk.

"You're not going to get that stone off the ground like that."

"How would you know?" the kid asked.

"Trust me; I know a thing about lifting heavy things," Link said and squatted down. "You have lift with your legs. Take your back out of the equation otherwise you'll hurt yourself more than you need to."

"Please, I don't need a Hylian telling me how to lift a rock." The kid said, and Link shrugged and walked away.

As soon as Link was away though, the young Kokiri child stopped his attempt to lift the rock. He spent the next minute studying the stubborn rock and considering the mysterious stranger's advice. Then the kid went back to his attempt to lift the rock, only he lowered himself to the ground by bending his legs this time. Putting what little strength he had in his legs, the kid managed to hoist the rock off the ground, much to his astonishment. It wasn't with any considerable ease, but the kid certainly surprised himself.

Link was still wondering around the village as the many kids frolicked about, with those little specks of light following them around for some reason. That was something Link was still trying to figure out. Even that kid he'd just spoken to had a speck of light fluttering around him, but Link gave it no real thought at the time. As he considered it, Link was suddenly caught completely off guard when a single speck appeared right in front of him. The shock sent Link spiraling to the ground onto his back. That speck of light was then quickly dancing right in his shocked face.

"Hey," a tiny voice called out, to which Link glanced up and saw… a girl? No not a girl; a fairy. "Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you."

"Where'd you come from?" Link panted as if he'd just run a marathon. He never knew that the wind could be so quickly knocked out of him.

"I was right in front of you; you almost walked into me," the fairy said and fluttered around Link's head, and he was having a tough time following her. "My name's Spryte. What's yours?"

Taking a deep breath, if only to calm himself, he replied, "Link. You're a fairy."

"Of course I'm a fairy," said Spryte. "All the kids in Kokiri Village have fairies of their own. Didn't you notice," Link response was wordless while Spryte continued. "Anyway, what brings you here, Link?"

Link was still somewhat speechless at the sight of the tiny fairy that was fluttering right in front of him. "Uh, well me and my… not-friend… came to see the Great Deku Tree, whoever that is."

"The Great Deku Tree watches over the forest and its inhabitants, like a father figure. I can take you to see him if you want." Spryte said before she zipped off toward the alcove without waiting for Link.

Link wasn't quite sure of what to make of Spryte outside of the fact that she was surprisingly… energetic. At least she wasn't bossing him around like Zelda tended to do. Link gathered himself and followed Spryte into the alcove where Zelda and Saria had gone. So far, with all the little children running around, Link was surprised that he hadn't run into Mido... which was a good thing for the runt. He managed to barely catch up with Spryte before she fluttered around a bend in the alcove. Link thought she was fast for such a small creature when he eventually reached the end. Right away, the alcove seemed to spill out into a wide open space… with one very, VERY big tree at the center. Link saw Zelda and Saria standing at the base of the tree and approached them. When he got to them, Zelda only offered him a small bit of a passing glance that made Link think she'd been waiting for him. For a few long moments, they said not much really of anything until Saria slowly approached the base.

Clearing her throat for a moment, Saria spoke. "Excuse me, Great Deku Tree; you have visitors from the outside world. They wish to speak with you."

There was no immediate response and Link whispered to Zelda, "It's a tree."

"Be quiet." Zelda ordered firmly in her whispers.

"We… are talking… to a tree." Link slowly exclaimed to the Princess's slight annoyance.

"Will you please shut up?" She quietly snapped.

Then there was a heavy sound that echoed through the field… that seemed to be coming from the tree itself. The sound startled Link and Zelda but not Saria or Spryte, as if they expected it. The sound became like the sound of wooden bark scratching against itself. Then the front-most part of the tree, the part facing Link and Zelda, began to shift and change shape. It seemed impossible, but it was happening right in front of the pair as they were backing up a step at a time. Saria was also backing up while Spryte fluttered backward in unison. At the edge of the alcove, Mido was poking his head around the corner to watch what was happening; the front most part of the tree was becoming almost face-like.

Link and Zelda watched in awe as the tree's face, if it was a face, slowly took shape. First, there were the large hallowed out portioned that resemble eye socket. Then there was a large outcropping of bark that took on the shape of a nose. Below that, an amount of the bark spread out to either side of it, forming the visage of a mustache or a beard. Link and Zelda looked at each other, both sharing the look of utter shock and awe. In fact, Link's jaw was agape while Zelda's eyes became wide open.

"Okay, I'll buy that." Link finally quipped.

The Great Deku Tree seemed to flex its limbs, causing leaves to flutter to the ground. **"Who disturbs my slumber,"** the Tree spoke in a deafening but benevolent tone. Then it seemed to look down at the girl in the green clothes. **"Saria, what brings you before me this day, my child,"** The Tree directed its gaze, if it could be caller such a thing, at the pair standing behind Saria. **"Ah ha… Princess Zelda, this is a surprise to be sure. What brings you to my domain of the forest?"**

Zelda was somewhat hesitant to address the Great Deku Tree when she took a step forward. Link stay back and noticed Spryte hiding behind his shoulder. Clearing her throat, Zelda spoke, "Great Deku Tree, my companion and I humbly seek your aid. The Royal City, my kingdom and my home, has fallen under the tyranny of the Gerudo warlord Ganondorf."

**"I know of this Ganondorf who hails from the Gerudo Valley,"** said the Tree almost sagely. **"He is a particularly troubling one."**

Zelda had fallen silent as if she was in grim thought. "He murdered my father in cold blood as I suspect he has my mother. And now, I suspect he desires the Triforce."

**"Yes, the Triforce,"** the Great Deku Tree mused. **"I sense that Ganondorf already possesses the Crest of Power and that you, young Princess, possess the Crest of Wisdom. Your companion there," **the Tree was addressing Link. **"He bears the Crest of Courage, does he not?"**

_Yes, I do. Kind of wish I didn't…_ Link thought resentfully to himself while he was glancing at the crest on his hand.

**"Step forward, boy,"** said the Great Deku Tree, which Link did. **"Your face is… familiar."** These words felt more than a little cryptic to Link, although he did feel a certain familiarity to the Kokiri for some reason. He couldn't put his finger on it.

Zelda took a step forward, maybe against her better judgment and said, "Great Deku Tree, with all due respect we've not much time. We need your help in finding the location of one of three jewels that could find the location of the Master Sword. We believe one of those jewel is in this forest."

The Great Deku Tree fell silent for a seemingly long moment, as if it was contemplating. Or, it fell asleep. **"You seek the Kokiri Emerald, the life force of the forest which myself and the Kokiri inhabit. I would gladly bestow it upon you, Princess. However, the Emerald is not within this village. It resides within a temple deep within the forest, guarded by dark forces. Retrieve it and it is yours."**

"Dark Forces in a temple," Link nervously quipped. "More good news."

Zelda ignored the comment Link had made and asked. "Where is this temple?"

Saria suddenly stepped forward and replied, "I can lead you there. Mido and I go to the temple to play once in a while. With the Great Deku Tree's permission, of course."

**"So be it. Saria, you shall guide these to the temple. And, may the Goddesses watch over you."**

Saria smiled and began to lead Zelda back to the alcove where Mido was waiting. Spryte was quick to follow them, but Link was no so quick to follow. He was contemplating what lay ahead of him now, the next obstacle that stood between him and saving Malon. He didn't care about saving Hyrule; just Malon. But it was here that he now, for the first time, was starting to doubt himself. Those doubts… that apparent lack of confidence that was buried inside of him when he wasn't outrunning city guards, was beginning to fester up within him. Link gazed down at the crest on his hand, sighing and lightly shaking his head in denial. It was unbeknownst to Link that the Great Deku Tree seemed to sense his hesitation.

**"You are troubled, boy."** the Tree claimed.

"I'm not troubled," Link exclaimed albeit nervously, like he was trying to convince himself… and failing in that venture. "I don't know, I… I feel out of place. I can't help wondering if maybe these Goddesses made a mistake."

**"Or perhaps the Goddess saw something within you that you do not yet see,"** the Tree stated. **"Perhaps, they witnessed that you have the courage to stand beside the Princess against the darkness. The Goddesses could not have taken this so lightly; they could never have made a mistake."**

Link gave some thought to the Great Deku Tree's word before he said, "You said my face was familiar. What did you mean by that?"

But the Tree's face slowly started to fade away. **"You have her eyes… and his spirit. I'm sure that in time, you will understand the destiny that lay before you."**

Link was determined to get an answer now. "Wait, what do you mean," he shouted, but the Great Deku Tree retreat back to its dormancy, and Link was left to wonder, "Who am I?"

* * *

Author's note: Bare with me as this chapter wasn't my best effort due to another bout of Writer's Block. Thanks again to Moon13Dreams for editing and any additions made in the chapter.

The Great Deku Tree (Ocarina of Time) and Spryte (Zeldanime) make their first appearance in the story. Another character will make an appearance in the next chapter, so stayed tuned and keep the reviews coming.


	13. Nabooru's Stand

Disclaimer: Well, my beta-reader returned after a short delay to edit this chapter. Again, sorry for any inconvience, We don't own the rights to Legend of Zelda.

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Chapter XII

Night fell on the besieged Royal City. A sort of curfew was in effect that had the people essentially trapped in their respective homes for fear of being slaughtered by the vicious Moblins who loved to hear the townspeople's scream. When the Moblins first took over the once beautiful and relatively peaceful Royal City, the people were quick to learn that the night was more dangerous to roam in during the day. All it took was one hellish scream on that first night for the entire city to get the message, and even the youngest of children knew from that scream to stay indoors with their mothers and fathers.

Despite this unfortunate change in the people's way of life as they once knew it, the city was far from lost. A large battalion of thirty city guards and soldiers were marching toward the castle in hopes to present a quick ending to the life of the new dictator of the Royal City. The Captain of the battalion was a veteran soldier by the name of Krin. He had seen well over his fair share of battles over the years, fighting side by side with the late King Daphnes and protecting the royal family until he reached an age where he could no longer use his sword as well as he had been able to in his youth. Though he was considerably old and grey compared to his troops, many of them barely on the cusp of adulthood, Krin still had more than enough fight left in him for a battle as pivotal as this. He'd rather die at the hands of a bloodied sword than allow the Royal City, and Hyrule as a whole, to be taken over by a madman.

Krin led his battalion to the closed gate leading up to the castle without hesitation as townspeople stared from behind the curtains of their windows as the young soldiers passed. The youthful battalion continued marching on to the outer field, though it was teeming with Moblins of equal number to the soldiers; it as if the simpleminded creatures were expecting them. Far up in a front most balcony of the cast, Ganondorf was watching with a keen eye and an expressionless face with Nabooru close by. He no doubt had expected some kind of retaliation on some scale, but he was unimpressed as he gazed down at the battalion, while Nabooru was stoic as ever. This was a battalion of unsung heroes; they were ants and his was the boot that would soundly squash them.

"They march to their doom." he mused to himself. Nabooru, as expected, didn't respond.

Down below, Krin attempted to rally his troops for the coming battle. "Soldiers of the Royal City, of the realm of Hyrule… my brothers," he spoke in commanding but fearless tone. "On this night, I lead you into battle against an enemy more treacherous than we've ever encountered. Those of you with whom I've fought side by side, you know the risks involved and I would trust you with my life. Others among you have barely even held a sword. I share your concerns, your trepidations."

Krin paused right there to allow it sink in to his soldiers. Some maintained a stoic expression; these were the veterans with whom Krin fought beside. Others were slightly more hesitant; these were the new blood of the battalion, the young soldiers of the future. _If_ they survived. Krin sensed their fears and understood it well. Had the situation been different, he'd never have dragged young boys like them who were barely on the cusp of adulthood into such a dangerous battle, but there was nothing he, nor anyone else, could do. The choice had been taken out of his hands after the initial assault on the castle left a considerable number of soldiers dead, dying, or simply imprisoned. After the next painfully silent moment, Krin continued his speech… which he thought bitterly might perhaps be his last one.

"These monstrosities will show us no mercy; we will show them no quarter. If this be our last night among the living then let us die fighting for the memory and our beloved King and Queen," he bellowed out loud, and his words began to bolster his troops. "Let us fight for the honor of Princess Zelda and let us fight... FOR THE GLORY OF HYRULE!"

With the final word spoken and with his sword held high, Krin let out a scream that was quickly followed the deep screams of his battalion. Then, they stormed the field toward the Moblin horde which in no such hesitation answered the challenge in kind. The battalion quickly closed the distance before colliding with the horde in a shower of steel and iron. From his perch in the castle balcony, Ganondorf watched with some marked interest while Nabooru stayed ever silent. This would likely not take too long.

Krin struck forced with a quick outer swipe of his sword, cutting down the nearest Moblin in his sight. He quickly cut down the next nearest Moblin before focusing on the next one. His soldiers followed suit, some of them managing to cut down a few Moblins in short order. Straight away, the battalion seemed to be getting the better of the horde, cutting down several Moblins at a time. Some of the Moblins that weren't immediately beaten managed a few strikes on some soldiers but the wounds incurred were nonlethal. Krin led a small group of five soldiers against wave after wave of Moblins and dispatched them one by one. They used a verity of swords and spears offensively while using their shields to beat back any encroaching foes.

From the balcony, Ganondorf mused to himself that he may have underestimated his enemies. But he felt a grin creep onto his face; the tide was on the verge of turning. On the ground fighting off numerous Moblins, Krin saw the reason for the warlord's sudden change in expression. Approaching from the distance, a huge Moblin brandishing a mace and clad in black armor was pushing its way passed its allies. It even recklessly knocked some of its own troops out of the way as it stormed toward the one target it wanted; Krin. Once the Uber-Moblin was upon him, Krin had to look up just to catch a glimpse of its face. The Uber-Moblin towered over him, snorting and grumbling in unintelligible rhetoric.

Then it took one mighty swing at Krin with its mace. Krin ducked below the incoming strike to avoid, but a nearby soldier under his command wasn't so fortunate. The blow shattered his chest plate, and his most of his ribcage before it sent him spiraling to the ground where he laid dead. The Uber-Moblin took another swing, this time striking another unlucky soldier of the battalion across the face and snapping his neck on impact. Three more soldiers valiantly charged against beast in an attempt to slow its progress, and they were handily swatted away and left in mangles heaps across the ground. Their blood immediately stained the ground.

Krin regrouped and attacked the Uber-Moblin. He first avoided a wide swipe of its mace by rolling under it and then taking a quick slash at the beast with his sword. The tip of the blade left a small gash on the beast's knee, but it appeared like the Uber-Moblin didn't even feel it. It took another wild swing and missed, while Krin continued his evasive maneuvering and striking quickly. A pair of smaller Moblins broke away from the battle to charge Krin, but an equal pair of soldiers intercepted them. Krin continued to his stick-and-move strategy, using his foe's lack of agility to his advantage and avoiding a heavy overhead strike. The blades of the mace became embedded in the ground, and the Uber-Moblin struggled to pry it loose.

Seeing an opening, Krin charged in with his sword out straight for the killing blow. But the Uber-Moblin was ready. The Uber-Moblin drew its own sword, this one twice the size of Krin's. Krin was quick to roll to the side while the Uber-Moblin attacked him with startling speed. Now, Krin was firmly on the defensive. The Uber-Moblin came right at Krin almost with nothing short of reckless abandon with a series of hard, fast strikes, most of which missing Krin but striking down several soldiers and some Moblins. Krin fought back against his hulking foe with equal amount of finesse and brute force. Somehow, he was beating the Uber-Moblin back. Until…

"Incoming!" shouted one of the soldiers in Krin battalion.

Krin and the nineteen or twenty surviving soldiers look up in time to spot a blow of yellow energy spiraling right toward the battlefield. In an instant, Krin ordered a full retreat once he saw that energy ball's point of origin was the balcony… Ganondorf had just made his presence known. The energy ball struck the ground where Krin and the Uber-Moblin fought only moments ago and exploded in a massive shower of sparks and lightning. Krin and a few of his troops and the Uber-Moblin all managed to avoid the attack, but most of the combatants on the battlefield weren't so fortunate. The streaks of lightning that shot from the energy's impact ripped across the field and obliterated those nearest to the epicenter.

As the dust began to settle, Krin attempted to rise up. He was wounded across the abdomen and his forehead was bleeding while he was also looking around him. Only a handful of his troops were still moving but only barely. Then Krin saw Ganondorf dropping from the balcony and coming right for him, walking with heavy-footed purpose. Dragging his sword of the ground but holding his side, Krin attempted to strike with inward slash. Ganondorf simply stepped to the side to let the attack pass by him, and then he grasped Krin's forearm and squeezed. Krin struggled against Ganondorf but couldn't take it and dropped his sword, but Ganondorf refused to release his grip.

"You have heart, but I can only assume you have sense enough to know you've been beaten," Ganondorf said and squeezed harder. The pain was already force to much for Krin and he was within a hair of passing out. "I've no need for your soldiers to die, so I would strongly suggest that you surrender on their behalf. In return, I will grant them amnesty. That is my bargain."

Krin struggled against the pain while he looked Ganondorf in the eye. "My men and I would die here and now than surrender to you, Ganondorf."

"Why not just you, Captain," Ganondorf stated before he swiftly snapped Krin's neck in quick motion and then letting the body drop to the ground. Then looking to the survivors of the battalion, only six left, Ganondorf said to the Uber-Moblin, "Have them taken to the dungeon… and display the dead so that they may serve as a warning to any that dare challenge me."

With that, Ganondorf started back toward the castle and gave the fallen soldiers and Moblins no further thought. Up on the balcony, Nabooru stoically examined the aftermath of the brief but fierce battle that had only moments ago taken place. Then, for some inexplicable reason, she collapsed to the floor holding her hands to her head. She was reacting in such a way as to suggest excruciating agony. As quickly as the pain came, it subsided, and Nabooru rose to her feet still clutching her head. Brushing away the crimson hair from her eyes, Nabooru felt different; lost in a haze. Looking over the side of the balcony yet again, Nabooru's eyes suddenly widened when she saw the results of battle, the bodies sprawled out across the ground.

Then for the first time since her arrival to the castle, Nabooru spoke unto herself, "What is this?"

It was as though she'd just awakened from a horrible dream; except it was very real. She recalled everything; every ordered she'd taken from Ganondorf, every life she'd taken on his behalf. She even remembered the sisters of her clan in the Gerudo Valley she herself had imprisoned… all at the behest of Ganondorf. She couldn't stop herself from carrying out his orders, as if her should was taken from her body and she used like a puppet and Ganondorf was pulling the strings, yanking them. Nabooru then looked down and saw Ganondorf on the field… looking right back at her and smirking wickedly.

From the field, he knew right then that the spell had worn out. It was made more evident when Nabooru suddenly disappeared from the balcony. Ganondorf was in no hurry to give chase as he continued onward to the castle entrance.

* * *

In the castle, Nabooru had to act the part of Ganondorf's stoic Second-in-Command when she had to deal with Moblins patrolling the halls. There was some form of fortune in the fact that the Moblins weren't too smart, so they never noticed if Nabooru acted out of character. That didn't mean that she could afford it. More often than she wanted, Nabooru was confronted by a Moblin on patrol. Its speech was sometimes unintelligible and other times, it was laced with the most basic of words. Luckily, Nabooru had practice in shutting up a Moblin with just a glare. She used this trick as she roamed the castle halls toward the dungeons below.

At the stairwell leading down to the dungeon, Nabooru unsheathed her sword from her belt and descended quietly down the stairs. On the way down, she could just scarcely hear the faint sobs of prisoners couldn't by the sound of chain-linked mace dragging across the floor. A Moblin was there patrolling between the cells of both Impa and the prisoners from the banquet. Nabooru looked at Impa; she was a mess, beaten and bruised repeatedly and most likely by Ganondorf.

Nabooru descended to the very bottom of the steps where the Moblin spotted her but didn't react negatively to her. It wasn't even sure of why Nabooru was holding her sword but assumed the reason was of no real concern. Staying silent and stoic, Nabooru motioned for the Moblin to open Impa's cell and the Moblin complied with a low snort none the wiser. Just as the Moblin started working on the lock, Nabooru drove the blade of her sword right through it. The Moblin let on a muffled growl as Nabooru had her free hand over its mouth while she was twisting the blade. For good measure, Nabooru snapped the Moblin's neck before pulled her sword loose.

The commotion awoke Impa, who narrowed her eyes at Nabooru but wasn't sure of her motives. She was even less sure as to why Nabooru was opening her cell but it drew the attention of the prisoners on the adjacent cell, including Malon and her father. Nabooru worked the lock quickly while looking back toward the stairs to make sure no one was there to stop, but she knew she'd not have much time. Eventually unlocking the cell, Nabooru approached Impa and began undoing one of her shackles, but Impa was wary.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"There isn't much time. Be silent while I unlock your shackles." Nabooru replied, which surprised Impa.

"So you can speak," Impa said. "I assumed you were mute as Ganondorf suggested."

"Far from it," Nabooru stated as she worked steadily on the left shackle. "Ganondorf placed me under some sort of spell, forced me to act against myself and even lock up my own sisters within my tribe."

The first shackle came loose and released Impa's hand. "I'm supposed to believe your word?"

Nabooru started working on the other shackle when she replied, "I don't expect you believe anything, but Ganondorf's influence is… troubling."

"You fear him?"

"I **_hate_ **him. I hate him for what he's done to me and for what he's made me do. I would see Ganondorf sent to the abyss for what's he's made do to my sisters, my tribe."

"Now that is just cold, Nabooru," a voice spoke out, and Nabooru turned to see Ganondorf standing right at the threshold of the cell. "After all I've done for you; you still continue to challenge me albeit in vain."

Nabooru was going to hear none of it and charged Ganondorf head on with her sword out to the side. The first swing came from the right side, which Ganondorf easily avoided. Another swipe came from the left side and again, Ganondorf side stepped it before kicking Nabooru away. Nabooru backed away, regrouped and charged Ganondorf again. She tried a straight thrust which Ganondorf sidestepped, and then she attempted a wide slash which he easily dodged. Seeing an opening, Ganondorf backhanded Nabooru and sent her to the floor on her knees.

She felt the heavy sting on her face and a small trickle of blood from a scrape on her cheek. Regrouping and witnessing Ganondorf mockingly gesture to her, Nabooru charged at the tyrant a third time over. Instead of careful planning and a mindful approach, Nabooru acted on instinct alone. Her oncoming attacks were fast and vicious, but feral and undisciplined. Ganondorf simply avoided the attacks as they came like they never happened at all. This was all because he knew that even someone as skilled as Nabooru would tire herself out at some point. But Nabooru was special, so Ganondorf would have to improvise.

He did just that; he waited for Nabooru to get careless and make a mistake, which wasn't often. But Nabooru made the mistake of briefly halting her attack, and Ganondorf caught the blade of her sword between his hands. The sharp edge was only an inch from his face, close enough that he'd touch his nose to it. Then in one swift move, Ganondorf snapped the blade in half. Nabooru never saw it coming, nor did she see the heavy backhand blow that sent her collapsing to the floor in a heap. The single blow made the prisoners and even Impa cringe. Ganondorf took a step forward and loomed over Nabooru, who was thankfully still conscious. Then he grabbed her by the throat, hoisted her and pinned against the far wall.

"I am very, very disappointed with you, Nabooru. Out of all the young women in our tribe, you had the most potential," Then bringing his right fist up to her face, Ganondorf did to Nabooru what he had done before. Like before, Nabooru became stoic and Ganondorf released her. Touching her bruised face, Ganondorf said, "You were always my favorite and you're still of use to me."

"You're a monster," Malon suddenly cried out from behind the bars of her cell amongst the other imprisoned townspeople, drawing Ganondorf's attention. She had a cold glare as she clutched the cold metal bars. "How could you possibly justify using her for your own ends?"

"I would suggest that you stay as quiet as possible when I'm around, little one, lest, you end up just like Nabooru." Ganondorf stated while the spellbound Nabooru shackled Impa back up. Giving the prisoner no further thought, Ganondorf departed with Nabooru at his side once again.

Malon felt the urge to break into tears even as Talon held her close. "Papa," she said as she envisioned the smiling face of her precious friend. She missed him more than anything and wanted no more than for him to return, but the odds of that were becoming smaller and smaller to her. "I wish Link was here…"

Impa watched as the father nodded and held his daughter as close to him as possible before she said, "Malon, you mustn't lose hope that your friend will come for you."

The words only seemed to make Malon weep all the more, and Impa wondered if she should've stayed silent. Sighing in frustration and desperation, Impa felt something different in her left arm. Looking up at the shackle, Impa noted that it seemed… loose. Looser than normal, actually. Impa started to pull and to her surprise, part of her hand seemed to slip through. It wasn't by much. It then it dawned on her; Nabooru. Even after Ganondorf spellbound her, she had to have still had some small, even miniscule semblance of her mind and must've loosed the shackle. If that was the case of it, then maybe Impa still had the faintest glimmer of hope that Ganondorf can and would be stopped. Just like Malon was hoping so dearly for Link to return, Impa was equally hoping that Zelda would as well.

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Author's note: As I said prior, this chapter has been updated by **Moon13Dreams**. That said, this chapter is in the books. (So to speak)

As you might notice, this chapter focuses on Nabooru as she was revealed to be a spellbound slave to Ganondorf... and she _does_ speak once she breaks free. That's more or less a reference to Ocarina of Time, minus those idiot witches.

Krin from Zeldanime also makes an appearance in this chapter albeit older than his other incarnation. Saldy, he doesn't last long here. Sorry, Crazyfreak.

That's all for now, so leave a review and keep this story alive.


	14. The Forest Temple

Disclaimer: On this Memorial Day, I bring out the next chapter in the Legend of Zelda story in honor of the men and women, both past and present, of the United States Military. That said, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

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Chapter XIII

The trek to the resting place of the Kokiri Emerald didn't take as long as either Zelda or Link expected, especially not when Saria and Mido were leading the way there. There were no significant life-or-death encounters to speak of, but the two wary travelers still had their respective weapons ready should the need arise. As they traveled, Zelda noticed something off about Link's demeanor. He wasn't as chatty as usual, nor was he spitting out random insults toward her. At first she thought she'd finally gotten to him, but that didn't seem quite right. She recognized that the look in his face wasn't of irritation or bitterness. He was contemplating again, either about his friend in the castle or about the task at hand. Zelda considered trying to speak to him, but she had nothing to offer aside from insults of her own; and experience dictated that it wouldn't be prudent to press the issue.

Moving along as if the change in his mood had gone unnoticed and focusing on where they were being taken, Zelda and Link found themselves following the young fairy children through some relatively heavy shrubbery. The travel through the shrubbery seemed to take an extended amount of time as the group followed one path into another path and into another in succession. It eventually occurred to the two strangers of the forest that they were apparently in a maze, but it seemed like Mido and Saria knew exactly where they were going.

Unbeknownst to the party, Spryte, the fairy, was hidden in a pocket on Link's tunic. After a long while, she slipped out due to feeling too cramped and smothered by the threads of the tunic and started fluttering around the back of Link's head. Link, believing it was a insect, waved his hand back and forth before Spryte managed to land on it.

Seeing the little fairy on his hand startled Link and brought him to a stop midway through the maze. "What're you doing here, Spryte?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to hitch a ride without your permission. But I wanted to see what you were all about." Spryte claimed.

"Seriously," a befuddled Link wondered. "Spryte, there's nothing all that special about me. I'm just a thief who wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Yet here you are with the Princess of Hyrule," Spryte pointed to the Princess that was in front of them. "You can't tell me that's not exciting."

"The Princess shot an arrow at me, insulted me since the moment we met, and stole my horse. I wouldn't call that _exciting_," Link grimaced. "Look, if you want to stick around, that's fine, but don't let the others know that you're here. Deal?"

Spryte thought about it before she replied, "Okay, but I get to hide in your hat; it's too hot in your pocket." Then she zipped underneath Link's hat before he could object.

"Great, now I'm going to have a voice in my head." he quipped and then went after the others while a small voice giggled as she sat in the tangles of his hair.

Following the path, Link quickly caught up with the group to find that Zelda was actually waiting for him. She shrugged her shoulders as a means of figuring out what was keeping Link from following whereto Link responded by pointed at his head. She stared at him rather confused and moved on, just missing Spryte poking her head out from under Link's hat. Link quickly pushed the little fairy back into his hat and moved on.

Mido and Saria went down a specific trail within the maze that they name would lead to the temple where the emerald would be resting, while Zelda and Link stayed close to keep from getting lost. Taking a straight path and then turning to the right, the group came up to a wide pool of water separating the path. It was slightly too wide for either Mido or Saria to jump, but not for Zelda and Link. Link when first, leaping across the pool with no trouble. Zelda picked up Saria and tossed her across to Link, who managed to easily catch her. Mido was next, but he pulled away from Zelda when she tried to touch.

"I don't need your help." he spat and prepared to jump. He took the leap and…fell directly in the pool with a minor splash.

"Are you sure about that, Mido?" Zelda quipped with a raised brow, to which Mido leered angrily at the Princess as he waded across to Link and Saria.

Link looked at Zelda and cracked a sly grin which Zelda returned while Saria pulled Mido out of the water. Then after taking a step back, Zelda attempted a running leap across the pool. She almost made it, but ended up right at the edge of the water. She was then suddenly on the verge of falling into the water when Link quickly grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her away. The momentum sent them to the ground with Zelda landing on top of Link. They were nose-to-nose, eye-to-eye… just staring right at each other. Strangely enough, each of their hearts started beating faster than normal. Zelda jumped from her seemingly paralyzed partner and stood upright. Link had the immediate thought that she would drive her foot into his face, but instead, Zelda reached down and offered a hand which he accepted.

Zelda looked back at the pool before telling Link, "Thank you."

Link surprisingly replied, "You're welcome."

"Are you two finished making out," Saria asked with a sigh. "Because we have to keep going; the temple's this way." Mido simply chuckled in response before following her.

Zelda and Link both exchanged embarrassed looks after their rather awkward moment, given the fact that they still didn't like each other very much at all. Eventually, they continued to follow Saria and Mido through the maze. From the pool onward, the group took the next left path and then turned right from there followed by another right and then left again. One final turn left lead the group to the end of the maze, and Link and Zelda were surprised that Mido and Saria actually managed to lead them out of the maze at all. At the end was a flight of stairs that led up to a clearing ahead.

Taking their respective weapons, Zelda and Link took the lead with the fairy children staying close behind them. Spryte was against poking her head out from Link's hat to see what was up ahead and stayed silent as the group ascended the stairs. Link didn't like that it was so quiet. It reminded him of the first time he was in the castle; before the siege. He couldn't ever here the birds chirping, not like when he and Zelda entered the forest. Zelda was equally disturbed by the silence and was even looking back behind to be sure the group wasn't being followed. The last thing she wanted was to deal with another pack of wolves like before.

Eventually, the group reached the zenith of the stairs and found themselves in a spacious clearing with knee-high grass and stones laid out all around. A building stood before them. It was relatively small compared to a place like the Temple of Time, but it clearly had the makings of a temple in its own right. The outer walls were composed of substance akin to marble with strange scripture resembling images of trees and bushes and the like. There was a tree standing by the temple with a single branch sticking out from it just over the entrance.

"Well," Saria broke the every heavy silence. "This is the place."

"Yeah, good luck, have fun, don't let the ghosts get you." Mido said.

"Wait, did you say ghosts?" Zelda asked, soundly slightly apprehensive.

"They're called Poes; they're kind of like ghosts, but they carry lanterns around with their own souls inside," Saria explained. "It's said that Poes exist between this world and the next, waiting for their souls to be released from the lanterns."

"Can't they just shatter the lanterns they carry?" Link asked.

"Nope; someone has to do it for them," Mido claimed, glancing directly at Link who was doing the same thing. "Have fun." he quipped and then stomped off.

"Mido; stay," Saria snapped, and Mido halted immediately. Then Saria reached into pocket in her tunic and pulled out a strange looking metal object with a wide dagger-like edge at the end. "Here, Link; you might get some use out of this."

Link took the device and quickly noted that it seemed to lack any significant weight and had a handle on the end opposite of the edge. "What is it?"

"In our village, it's called a Hookshot. We use it to latch onto almost any surface, though mostly for fun."

Link noticed a small button on the Hookshot and pressed. In that instant, the edge of the device shot forth while still attached to the device by a long chain that ran the length of the clearing. Link then released his hold on the button and the chain retracted back to the tool with a fair amount of recoil that sent Link's arm arching back. An echo of metal on metal filled the clearing, but Link was more surprised by the sudden rush he got just from operating the Hookshot the way he did. It felt… good.

"Wow," he said in surprise. "I finally have something to shoot you with, Zelda."

"Very cute, Link," Zelda responded flatly with the roll of her eyes and started into the temple. "Let's get this over with."

"You okay?" Link asked and sounded almost genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine," Zelda snapped even they she sounded oddly agitated and not by Link for once. "Let's just… let's go find that jewel." Then she walked into the temple entrance.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, unsure of what the Princess was playing at. Link then put his new weapon into his satchel after a moment and followed Zelda into the temple. He stopped to take one last look at Saria and Mido for no particular reason. Saria gave him a thumbs-up while Mido turned away. Link expected nothing less from the runt, but he didn't place any value into it as he headed into the temple after Zelda. When Link wasn't looking back, Mido gave him a more thoughtful glance.

* * *

Inside the temple, it was about as dark as it could be, even with the ray of light shining in from the outside. Still, Link set a flame to light the way as he took the lead with Zelda following right behind him. She had her bow cautiously ready in the event that it would be needed. Surely, there was likely to be such an event that such a weapon would be useful. Link was focused, so focused that he didn't to notice a slight shiver in Zelda's movement and a shallow sound in her breathing. With one hand holding the torch and the other pressing against a cold, hard surface, Link and Zelda followed the supposed path deeper into the temple.

Then the wall vanished from Link's touch. He almost tripped over himself when he noticed a small flight of stairs in front of him. Glancing at Zelda, he took the steps down to slightly lower level where no more steps appeared. The silence made the trek rather uncomfortable for both of them. There wasn't even a slight breathe of wind. Then there was the sound; it wasn't airflow. It sounded almost like laughter, but more haunting and certainly not like the laughter heard in Kokiri Village.

Link stayed focused and on point but Zelda… it sounded like she was scared of something. Ignoring her, Link searched around for something to light the way and found banner with a hollowed interior. There was an inky substance like oil. Taking his torch, Link placed the flame in the oil. In an instant, the oil suddenly caught fire and spread down in a path across the banner in almost a circle. The flame arched and climbed up, revealed walls and staircases before it reached the apex of its climbs, and then it arched back to the ground floor. At that point, there was enough light to show that Link and Zelda were in a large room.

At the center of the room were four lanterns resting adjacent from each other, all with a flame burning within each other. The flames looked different; all of them were a shade of color that didn't fit the description of fire. Fire was usually bright red and orange. These flames were blue, green, yellow and purple respectively. Then the haunting laughter returned and startled the duo, causing Link to instinctively draw his sword and shield while Zelda quickly readied an arrow. That was when he began to notice that Zelda was shaking and breathing shallow.

"Zelda, what wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, Link. I'm fine." Zelda sounded everything except fine.

Before Link could call Zelda out on her claim, they heard the haunting laughter once more. It sounded much closer this time around and seemed to come from everywhere. It was Link who stay focused while Zelda tried her best to do the same even with a bead of sweat trickling down her face. Then seemingly out of thin air, they saw it; a Poe. It was a ghostly apparition apparently covered in rags with glowing yellow eyes, twig-like arms and a lack of a lower body. It was holding a lantern in one of its arms with a purple flame inside of it and began swinging around before it suddenly charged at the pair. Zelda and Link both ducked out of the way of the Poe and let it pass between them. Then it vanished.

Link righted himself with shield and sword in hand while Zelda recovered with her bow ready to be fired. They waited for the Poe to reappear, during which Link looked to Zelda. She couldn't hide it anymore; she was terrified. Link had never seen that reaction from the normally headstrong Princess since they first time they met. As much as he wanted to tease her about it, now wasn't really the time nor the place; they had a job to do. The laughter returned but it sounded different… as if there was more than one Poe.

The Link's suspicions were confirmed when a second Poe appeared right behind Zelda holding a lantern with a green flame. In an uncharacteristic panic, Zelda fired an arrow straight through the Poe as it was closing on her. It swung its lantern around and known her bow away as it stalked her. Zelda backed away and tripped over her feet to the floor, crawling backwards as the Poe approached. Link suddenly lunged forward to get in between Zelda and the Poe, taking a swipe at the ghost with his sword. The blade simply phased right through the Poe while it was laughing at the duo.

Link didn't give up and just kept swiping, if nothing else to buy Zelda time to get away. A third Poe appeared directly in front of the Princess, holding lantern with a yellow flame. The distraction of Zelda's predicament cost Link when he turned away for a split second, and the Green Poe struck him with it lantern. The blow came hard and fast and sent Link to the floor where he dropped his shield and sword, but found Zelda's bow right in front of him. Then the Poes vanished while Link grabbed the bow and approached Zelda, who was curled into a fetal position with her face buried in her knees and shaking.

"Zelda, we have to work together to kill these things," he said, but she was still shaking and not looking at him. "Zelda, c'mon, you've got to pull it together."

Zelda raised her head; she had tears in her eyes. "Link," she whispered. "Link, I'm scared to death."

"I can see that, but I can't fight these things off without you," Link then handed Zelda her bow while Spryte pops out of his hat. "C'mon, where's that stuck-up Princess who tried shooting me with an arrow?"

Zelda saw Spryte fluttering about and responded, "Why would a thief have fairy in his hat?" then she smirked.

"HEY, LOOK OUT!" Spryte shouted.

Link turned around just in time to spot the Yellow Poe lunging directly at him. On instinct, he pulled his new Hookshot out of the satchel and fired. The blade and chain went flying and struck the Yellow Poe's lantern as it spun around and shattered it. At that very instant, the Yellow Poe began screeching and spinning around in place before fading in a whiff of smoke. The yellow flame was still presence but not attacking Link or Zelda or Spryte. It simply hovered to one of the larger lanterns, the one with a yellow flame and joined with it. Then the flame seemed to extinguish itself. Link looked at his Hookshot and, remembering what Mido claimed earlier, hoisted Zelda upright.

"The lanterns; we have to break them." he said, and it was no sooner that the Purple Poe reappeared.

With only the Hookshot, Link knew he wouldn't have the same luck as before. He needed his sword and shield. Luckily, or maybe stupidly, Spryte fluttered right at the Purple Poe and hovered right in its face. Her presence alone was enough to distract the Poe while Link sprinted for his fallen weapons. He was a fingertip away when the Green Poe appeared and grabbed him and carried him all the way up to the ceiling of the chamber. Link was slammed into the ceiling and held there with the Poe laughing at him.

Without warning, an arrow shot by Zelda passed right through the Green Poe. Zelda then shot another pair of arrows that only momentarily distracted the ghost. Frantically, Zelda readied another arrow while Link tried in vain to fight off the Green Poe. Then, Zelda let the arrow loose. The shot was as true as any could be, passing right through the Green Poe and striking its lantern. The arrowhead became embedded in the glass and minuscule particle of the flame began to seep through the crack. The Poe was starting to panic and Link grabbed the arrow. With every ounce of strength he could spare, Link yanked the arrow loose and the glass shattered.

The Green Poe screeched and instantly vanished in a plume of smoke just its yellow counterpart had minutes ago, but it left Link still up in the air. He fell in an instant, but managed to use his Hookshot to swing down to the floor. The landing wasn't exactly smooth as Link still hit the floor hard and rolled across it before coming to a stop… right beside his sword. The green flame hovered by him and into it respective lantern before dissipating. Link glanced at Zelda in total bemusement, but then he nodded to her.

Zelda noticed that Spryte was still trying to avoid the Purple Poe and readied another arrow. But she couldn't take the shot, not without hurting Spryte. Spryte however was smarter than she looked, as she was actually trying to get the Poe to use its own lantern as a weapon against her. Spryte fluttered to the floor and waited for the Poe to approach as it started swinging its lantern around. Then it took its swing and Spryte fluttered out of sight. The impact of the lantern on the floor cracked the glass and then Link made his move, shattering the lantern to pieces with the swing of his sword. Like its brethren, the Purple Poe screeched and vanished while its flame joined with the big lantern before extinguishing itself. The roof fell silent as the trio regrouped.

"That was fun." Spryte quipped.

"For you, maybe." Link responded while he rubbed his throat.

Zelda was looking around, still shaken, but focused enough to notice a blue flame in the final lantern. "It's not over yet. There's still one lantern alight and we killed only three of those Poes. That means there's…"Zelda was interrupted by a much louder and more menacing bout of laughter before she finished, "…only one left."

Without warning, a larger Poe appeared brandishing a lantern with a blue flame inside of it. Aside from its sheer size, the Blue Poe's eyes were burning red and angry. Like its predecessors, the Blue Poe swung its lantern in an attempt to strike Link, Zelda, and Spryte. The trio ducked away as the lantern came down while expecting it shatter on impact. Except, that never happened because the lantern simply bounced off the floor with a loud clang. Zelda recovered and fired three arrows at the lantern only for them to bounce off while the Blue Poe stalked her.

Link recovered and charged at the ghost. He took a swing at the ghost with his sword even knowing the blade wouldn't hurt it. Then he took a swing at the lantern and struck it. Not even a crack formed before the Blue Poe struck back. Link managed to get his shield up to block the attack, but he was still knocked away. Link recovered just in time to see the Blue Poe brandish a scythe and laughing at him.

Link and Zelda regrouped with Spryte fluttering behind Link's shoulder, and Link muttered, "Okay, this might take a while." He had no idea how right he was.

* * *

Author's note: Well, this chapter is complete.

You'll notice a couple references to Ocarina of Time; the Hookshot is introduce here and the maze is a reference to Forest Temple. In fact, the temple itself and its interior take a que from that level.

I also teased a little romance between Link and Zelda, but they still don't like other. And apperantly Zelda's seems to afraid of ghosts.

Speaking of which, the Poes make their first appearance complete with their lanterns. I originally intended to introduce the Floormaster but I went with the Poes instead since they were a key component in the completion of said level. Let me know what you think.


	15. Ghosts From Beyond

Disclaimer: My beta returned from going dark on me. I should be mad or something but I'm not since I at least know why the recent string of delays.

I still do not own the rights to Legend of Zelda.

* * *

Chapter XIV

Saria's worry and concern had been steadily growing ever since Link and Zelda ventured into the temple. Considering her knowledge of the treacherous obstacles within, mainly the devious Poes who roamed the temple halls, her concerned was warranted. Mido, who also had the same knowledge, wasn't nearly as concerned with the two foreigners' well-being. He was playing with a slingshot he'd brought with him from the village while they waited. He wanted to use it on Link… and maybe Zelda, too. Saria had spent the last several minutes pacing around the clearing with a worried look on her face, even considering possibly venturing into the temple to find Link and Zelda herself. With that thought, she stopped and stared longingly at the dark entrance of the temple, letting out a sigh as she crossed her little arms.

"It's been too long," she said to Mido. "They should've been out of there by now."

Mido fired off a small pebbled from his slingshot and struck the wall. "They're probably in there making out. You saw how they were looking at each other before."

Saria glared at Mido, annoyance clearly evident in her eyes, "Do you ever think before you say anything?"

"Nope."

That was pretty much what Saria was expecting from Mido, he was a young boy after all. "Maybe we should go in there; they might need help or something."

"Forget about it, Saria. They both looked like they can handle themselves without us," Mido said and took another shot at the wall. "What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

Link crashed hard into the wall and then fell to the floor, using only his hands to break the fall. The fall was still the most outright painful he'd felt so far and it made him wish he could go home, but he knew well enough that such a thing wasn't an option. He recovered after a moment and hoisted his sword and shield back into a defensive position as the Blue Poe was approached him, laughing the whole way. It still held its lantern in one hand and scythe in the other and was of course twice as large as the previous ghosts. Link knew that this thing wasn't going to go down easy. Just as the Blue Poe was right on top of Link, three arrows went right through it and did next to nothing outside of drawing its attention.

Zelda was preparing another set of arrows when the Blue Poe turned toward her and screeched with its crimson red eyes. Those eyes locked with Zelda's and she instantly froze up; her heavy breathing fell shallow and a shiver went down her spine. She felt as if she was looking to the eyes of Death himself, but she forced herself to shake it off and let another pair of arrows fly. They simply passed through the Blue Poe's ethereal form as the others had before. The Blue Poe responded by swiping its scythe straight down at Zelda, who barely managed to avoid the curved blade. Another strike from the scythe very nearly skewered the Princess when the blade came down right between her legs.

In that time, Link had recovered and was able to block the ghost's next attack with his shield. Link took a swing at the ghost with his sword knowing full well it wouldn't deal any damage at all. It wasn't for lack of trying. The Blue Poe answered back with a few swipes, forcing Link to go right back on the defensive by blocking those swipes. The shield blocked the attacks and gave Link an opening to strike, and his sword collided with the Poe's scythe and sent sparks flying between the blades. Link was clearly outmatched but he held his ground if only to buy Zelda time to recover.

It was time well used by Zelda once she was up with her bow in hand. She fired an arrow but wasn't aiming at the Blue Poe; just its lantern. The arrowed off the lantern without leaving as much as a crack in the glass, but Zelda was determined to pierce it. Link came back to fight the ghost despite his inexperience, meeting the ghost's assault on him head on. Link and the Poe traded attacked with their weapons colliding back and forth between them even though Link was still firmly on the defensive. It was all Zelda could do to keep the Poe in her sights so she could let an arrow fly, but she didn't want to hit Link by mistake.

The Blue Poe knocked Link's sword from his hand and then knocked him to the floor while it was still cackling. It then lunged for him and Link brought his shield up to defend against the ghost's scythe for whatever good it did. Then Link found his opening when the Blue Poe swung its scythe wide and he ducked right below it. As hard as he could, Link swiped at the scythe and knocked it right out of the Poe's twig-like hand where it landed with a clatter to the floor. Link let out a yelp of seeming triumph before he went right back on the attack.

He targeted the lantern and took a series of quick but inexperienced swipes at it. The blade of his sword struck the lantern but didn't shatter it. The Blue Poe responded by actually using the lantern on Link, bashing it across his face and sending him down to the floor. The blow didn't knock him out but it did make him wonder just what the lantern was made of. Zelda saw her opening and let a pair of arrows fly. One arrow passing right through the Poe but the other one, through sheer luck, knocked the lantern out of the ghost's hand. The Poe shrieked and turned its wrath to the Princess.

Zelda unleashed another arrow aimed at the Poe and let it loose against her adversary. This time, the Blue Poe actually caught the arrow and snapped it between its fingers. Then it produced a blame flame in its hand and hurled at Zelda with sudden and unexpected speed. The flame expended as it traveled through the air at Zelda, who barely had enough time to dodge. On impact with the floor, the flame burst into an inferno right where Zelda was standing. Zelda's eyes widened at the shock of knowing how close she came to being immolated and she looked toward Link. He was still down on the floor.

"Link, get up!" she shouted as Link was trying to do so.

At the same time, Spryte was fluttering around Link trying to revive him. "You have to get up, Link. Zelda's in trouble; she needs you!"

Link was out of it as he mumbled, "I'm… still… out of it. Think… I'll just… sleep it off."

"Are you kidding me," Spryte sighed with annoyance as she tried to revive him even faster with more power. "GET UP."

Link suddenly snapped back to reality shaking his head and still trying to figure out what hit him. He found his sword and picked it up as he tried to gain back his strength and will to move. He also saw the lantern laying just a few inches from him. He also noticed Zelda still dodging fireballs throw by the Blue Poe. Zelda looked Link's way for little more than a split second, seeing that he was starting to rise. The distraction cost Zelda when the Blue Poe was now right on top of her. It grasped her by the collar of her uniform and forcefully hoisted her up into the air. The momentum caused Zelda to drop her bow, but she managed to grab a dagger from her belt and tried a quick trust. The Blue Poe caught the arm and squeezed until the dagger fell while it was also squeezing Zelda's throat and cackling loudly.

"Hey ugly," Link suddenly shouted and drew the ghost's attention. Then he held up the lantern on one hand… and his Hookshot in the other hand hidden discretely behind his back. "Did you lose something?"

The Blue Poe screeched in protest when Link tossed the Lantern high into the air, and then fired his Hookshot after it. The blade missed and embedded into the ceiling and at first, Zelda thought Link was completely daft. Then she saw through to his real plan when Link released the button on the Hookshot. In an instant, Link went flying straight up toward the still airborne lantern, passing it and planting his feet on the ceiling while unsheathing his sword. Then with every ounce of strength in his legs, he ricocheted off the ceiling just as the lantern was beginning its descent. The Poe dropped Zelda to the floor and charged up toward Link and the lantern.

It was merely a moment too late. Link took his sword to the lantern with every single ounce of his being and finally shattered the glass surrounding the flame inside. In that instant, the Blue Poe shrieked in protest while Link landed on his feet and looked up. The Blue Poe vanished, still screeching, while its blue flame hovered toward the last remaining large lantern in the chamber. Link approached Zelda with Spryte fluttering behind him and found her lying on the floor and breathing shallow.

"You okay, Princess?" he asked.

Zelda gazed up at Link and then looked away, sniffling and wiping a tear from her face. "I'd prefer to not ever go through that again." she claimed with some embarrassment.

"I personally never thought I'd see you afraid of something. And really; ghosts?"

"Impa used to tell me ghost stories when I was young; terrified me all through the night," Zelda claimed and then accepted Link's gesture of assistance. "I must admit; you showed remarkable courage today. I didn't think you had it in you."

"Neither did I." Link stated, thinking back to the Great Deku Tree they had encountered earlier.

"Hey," Spryte said. "Look at the lantern."

It seemed to be just as the previous Poes and their lanterns had fallen that the Blue Poe's flame within its corresponding lantern extinguished itself. Link, Zelda, and Spryte waited for something to happen, preferably something that didn't involve more ghosts. Then the dimmed lantern seemed to slowly, but surely descend into the floor. They could be heard scraping against the stone before they completely disappeared. Again, the trio waited. Then there was a sudden tremor within the chamber and something began to ascend up from the floor in the space between where the lanterns were only moments ago.

Coming up from the beneath the floor was a platform with a pedestal in its center, and on the pedestal was jewel. It glimmered a lively green that just seemed to light the entire chamber and gave off a low hum that made the collected teeth of the chamber's occupants tingle. After a brief exchange of glanced between them, Zelda took a step forward toward what she was so sure to be the Kokiri Emerald. Looking back at Link and Spryte, Zelda reached her hand out to the Emerald and touched it. Aside from a faint shimmer of green light, nothing happened that would indicate a threat and Zelda exchanged another glance with Link.

Suddenly, a flash of green light shot from the Kokiri Emerald that sent Zelda jumping back into Link's arm. The momentum sent them to the floor while a new ethereal form emerged from the jewel. At first, there was the unwanted feeling that yet another Poe would appear to smite its intruders, but the ethereal form instead took the shape of a woman. At first glance, she was beautiful and like the Emerald shimmered in a green light. Her hair seemed to dance in the air while she held her arms out. Finally, she trained her eyes to the two young Hylians and their fairy companion and smiled on them. Then, she spoke…

_"You have come far, but your journey has only just begun."_ she said in a soothing and enchanting voice.

Link and Zelda couldn't help but be in awe of the ethereal woman. "Who are you?" Zelda asked.

_"I am the spirit of the Goddess Farore, who brought life to the realm by creating the many races that would inhabit it, and I've been awaiting you arrival here for some time, Princess Zelda."_

Zelda was slightly taken aback. "You know me?"

_"I know of both you and your companion,"_ the spirit stated while gazing at Link with a genuine smile. Then she descended down to Link and appeared to place her hand on his face. "You are the one called Link, yes," she said to which Link nodded. _"You have your mother's eyes… and your father's spirit. We were right to choose you as the one who would save Hyrule."_

Link's eyes widened. "My mother…? Father?" he whispered but the spirit pulled away before he could inquire further.

_"You have earned the Kokiri Emerald on this day. Let it guide you in your journey forward."_ Then the spirit of Farore began to vanish, but Link reached out.

"Wait, I have to know," he shouted out desperately. "What about my parents?" The spirit was already gone, and Link was left again with more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, Zelda had the Kokiri Emerald in the palm of her hand. It shined in a beautiful green light, even a little hypnotizing. Zelda looked at Link. His back was to her and it seemed like he was more unsure of things now than ever. Spryte noticed that Zelda appeared to be genuinely concerned for Link, which was another clear contract to how they were with other from the start of their journey. Zelda approached Link and put a hand on his shoulder. It drew Link's attention and he locked eyes with the Princess. There was no contempt in them this time; just confusion.

"Are you alright, Link?" she asked, sounding surprising sincere.

Link thought long and hard about what he'd just experienced and said, "We should head back to the village. I need answers." Then he stormed off toward the temple entrance. Zelda and Spryte were quick to follow.

* * *

The return to Kokiri Village didn't take as long as expected and when the group arrived, they were greeted by the children in various ways. Some met the group and welcomed them back with open arms while others simply greeted them and moved on. Zelda was showered with praise when she displayed the Kokiri Emerald, although Mido pretended like he was the one that did all the work. Still, Zelda didn't take to the adulation as she normally would back in the Royal City. She was concerned about Link, who stormed off to the alcove entrance that led to the Great Deku Tree. Mido tried to stop and Link practically shooed him away while Spryte had gone with him, but that was a side of Link that Zelda had never seen before. Saria inquired with Zelda about Link, and Zelda responded was a shrug.

By the time he entered the field where the Great Deku Tree was located, Link noticed that forest guardian was clearly in a resting state. "I know you can hear me," Link said. "I have questions and know you have answers."

"Link what are you doing," Spryte asked while she fluttered around Link's face. "You can't just barge in seeking to talk with the Great Deku Tree."

"That's didn't stop Zelda," Link stated. "Look, Spryte; I'm not leaving until I get my questions answered," Link then looked to the Tree and added, "You hear that? I'm not going anywhere."

Link waited for the Great Deku Tree to respond to him in some way, shape or form. So far, the Tree stood completely inert. Undeterred, Link sat down on the grass in front of the Tree, crossed his legs and setting his sword and shield down beside him and waited. Spryte fluttered down and landed atop the shield where she sat down and appeared to mimic Link. Five minutes passed, and the great Deku Tree didn't respond. Link was taping the digits of his left hand across his knee while staring at the Tree and waiting for a response or a reaction. Another five minutes passed, and Link was starting to get more than a bit frustrated to the point and lying down on the glass with his limbs spread out.

Spryte was lying down on her side apparently taking a nap. She rose up and stretched her little arms when she noticed that Link was still waiting. At this point, Spryte was considering talking to Link and convincing him to leave; that all this waiting wasn't worth it. Link would've likely said otherwise. Just at that moment, the Tree began to react and take on the face it had done before. Link sat up and then rose up to his feet while Spryte fluttered and landed on his shoulder.

"**You have returned, young one,**" the Tree finally answered. "**I trust you have recovered the Emerald?**"

"Who am I," Link asked suddenly. "You said I had her eyes and his spirit, and Farore mentioned my mother and father. What was she talking about?"

"**Hmm, yes, I see,**" the Great Deku Tree exclaimed. "**You were clearly far too young to understand what happened on that day so long ago.**"

Link was become increasingly confused and agitated. "I don't understand. What happened to my mother and father? Why can't even remember them?"

"**It seems the time has finally come,**" said the Great Deku Tree. "**Sit, young Link, and I will tell you the truth of your parents. In time, I pray, you will come to further understand the destiny that presence itself before you, the Princess... and Hyrule itself.**"

* * *

Author's Note: Beta-reader or not, this chapter is finished. Actually, it was finished for a while but my hand was forced.

In some contrast to the previous Poes, the Blue Poe was meant to be more of a challenge for Link and Zelda. Of course, they succeeded and secured the Kokiri Emerald. They also encountered Farore, or the spirit of Farore at least.

Also, Spryte reviving Link when he was down was a reference to the games. Got any reviews you want to send out? Let me have 'em.


	16. Second Nature

Disclaimer: After some moments of silence, Moon13Dreams returned to help with the latest chapter of the story. Not a moment too soon, since I'm thinking this will get a bit darker going forward. That could be a good thing if done right.

Anyway, I still do not own the right to LoZ.

* * *

Chapter XV

_Long has it been prophesied that one chosen by destiny would rise to challenge the darkest forces that would threaten the realm. The Golden Goddesses knew this all too well when they created Hyrule and the Triforce. They created it to splinter into three triangles if the hands of one with an unbalanced and impure heart were ever to touch it. To challenge the evil that would come to threaten the realm they created, the Goddesses needed a champion, pure of heart that embodied righteousness and virtue. They found one in you._

_One fateful night in the forest, I was approached by two Hylians, a man and woman from beyond the trees. I was but a young tree at that time, but I was yet wise beyond the many years that were to come. These visitors came to me, shrouded in simple clothes. Their face was concealed in cloaks, but I could sense the turmoil in their collective soul. I could see the pain in the woman eyes as she knelt down before me, begging my pardon. She presented a small object in her arms wrapped in cloth, and it was then that I saw the tiny form of a baby. The man, her mate I came to surmise, place a hand upon her shoulder and then knelt down beside her. He exchanged glances at both myself and the baby._

_The child was quite small in the woman's arms, but it was then at that very moment that I sensed that this child was destined for something more. I looked into the boy's eyes, his own eyes looking back at mine and he produced a smile. The woman revealed her face to me; beautiful but deeply saddened. She gently rubbed the child's head before she bowed her head to me._

"_Great Deku Tree of the forest, we ask for your aid," she said in a soft but trouble voice. "I fear that a calamity is approaching to lay waste to the realm. My dreams have been dark of late, haunted by the presence of a dark man in black. I fear for the life the life of the child I hold in my arms. Yet I sense a great destiny stands before him. Please; I ask that you protect my son from the evil man."_

_For a long time, I was silent as I contemplated the request of this troubled pair who I came to believe was of steady and from a life of ease. But they were not the only one troubled by vision of dark man, for I also experienced such visions. Yet, I also saw that this child had a destiny all his own; as did another. My belief was further reinforced when I saw the symbol of the Triforce upon the child's hand. I looked to the woman once more, her eyes red with the tears that no doubt would stream down her face. Her mate wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close._

_**"Dear man and woman,"**I said to them. **"I have also sensed the coming of an evil man in black. Yet, I've also sensed a great destiny standing before the child you hold in your arms… for he has been chosen by the Golden Goddesses to one day save this realm from the evil man."**_

_The boy's father then stood up, tall and proud but world weary. "Please, Great Deku Tree, we must be certain," he said in a deep but soft tone, "Will you take our son and protect him from this calamity?"_

"_**As the Golden Goddesses as my solemn witnesses on this day, you have my word that your son shall remain under my protection," **I told them. **"The day will come when this child will grow to become the hero prophesied to bring an end to the evil. This is my solemn oath to you."**_

_The fears assuaged at least in part, the woman whom I sense was more than she claimed set her child down to the grass before me. With a final kiss upon his head, she whispered, "No matter what happens from this moment forward, we will always love you."_

_The man, the boy's father I came to realize, fell to his knees beside the boy. He was as gentle as a breeze as he rubbed the boy's head and whispered, "You will never be alone. We will always be with you we will always watch over you. You are our son, now and forever, Link." _

_In the years since that day, I have honored my vow to protect that child until he was old enough to venture out into the world. Little did I know that the boy would wonder off into the world alone without my knowledge or my guidance. Perhaps it was influence of the Goddesses that compelled the boy to venture out into the world with such a display of courage, where he would grow into the young lad that stands before my right now._

* * *

**"It is the hope I have that you now understand your importance in this journey, young Link," **the Great Deku Tree stated to a stunned Link. **"Even at such a young age, there was unfathomable courage within you. Perhaps that is why your mother entrusted you to my care."**

Link wasn't even sure of where to begin or what questions he should have been asking next… there were a lot of them. Yet at the same time, he was starting to have a better understanding of why he was on this journey with Zelda to begin with. He was becoming more convinced that his being involved wasn't a simple product of chance. Looking down at the grassy spot where he stood, Link envisioned his mother, whomever it was, standing right where he was standing and closed his eyes. He envisioned her holding him as a baby and saying her goodbyes to him. Then he rotated his right hand to study its back where the three triangles and closely studied the triangle that he bore while near the alcove, Zelda appeared.

With his eyes open and taking a deep breath, Link responded, "Great Deku Tree… who were my mother and father? What happened to them?"

**_"_I am afraid that I do not know the whereabouts of those who brought you to the forest, but,"** the Tree stated while briefly glancing toward the alcove at the Princess. **"I suspect they were of far greater importance than you could know. Perhaps more will be revealed as your journey continues."**

Link gave the Tree's words some thought while he again studied the Crest of Courage on his hand. Before he could say another word, the Tree had returned to its slumber. Spryte continued to flutter above Link's shoulder when Link turned around and saw Zelda still standing at the alcove. Zelda looked away as Link approached her. With a nod, Link walked passed Zelda without uttering a word while Spryte followed him out. Zelda was surprised since she expected Link to throw an insult at her but she followed back out to the village all the same.

Saria and Mido were still there waiting for Link and Zelda to return to seeing the Tree and while Saria had her hands clasped with concern, Mido simply looked away. Link expected as much and ignored the runty little weasel as he walked by. Mido still gave Link a somewhat meaningful look. Link strolled onward until he reached the very center of the entire village, while Zelda and Spryte continued to look on in confusion. At that moment, Link turned to those who for moments had been staring right at him.

"What?!"

Zelda was suddenly completely flabbergasted at Link's seemingly oblivious response. "You do realize you just went seeking an unwarranted audience with the Great Deku Tree for no apparent reason, yes?"

"Well… yeah," Link responded, and his left Zelda baffled beyond belief. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"'Cause she likes you, nimrod!" Mido shouted.

"I wasn't asking you, short stack," Link spat back before turning back to Zelda. "Zelda, I'll explain when we get back to the ranch, okay. Please; just trust me."

"I haven't trusted you since the beginning." Zelda pointed out while recalling the first time Link walked out on her only to later return.

"Now would be a good time to start," Link stated with… Zelda wasn't sure what this feeling was that Link was suddenly displaying; honesty, perhaps… or confidence. "Could you stop staring; you're making me nervous." Then Link walked onward.

Zelda shook herself out of whatever stupor she was in plainly asked, "What in the world was that all about?"

Link spun around while still walking and asked, "Are you going to keep standing there, Princess?"

Link continued on without waiting for an answer, leaving Zelda and Spryte more than completely lost in confusion. It was only no more than five or ten minutes ago that Link stormed into the Great Deku Tree's cove for _no apparent reason_ as Zelda put it. Even though she eavesdropped on the resultant exchange, Zelda was still left in the dark more than when she and Link were when they were still in the temple. Now all of a sudden, Link had this determined, confident demeanor in his eyes… as if he'd just made a stunning discovery. Oddly, Zelda didn't think to inquire about the exchange with Spryte. She'd followed Link into the cove, so she'd have known something. Either she wasn't too bright, or Spryte was respecting Link's privacy.

Link was already at the exit of the village and standing by waiting for Zelda to catch up with him. He could see on hollow that the Princess was more than a bit lost. In fact, Link himself was the same in a sense but not as much as he was before. Knowing that he was abandoned by his own parents as a baby didn't exactly trouble him when he consider that there was at least a reason behind it; to protect him from a dark man. A _dark man…_ Ganondorf.

It was the only logical choice that Link could consider, but another question rose in his thoughts; who were his parents? The Great Deku Tree never elaborated on their identities but he stated that they were of _importance. _Link likely would never know.

* * *

Malon was terrified; she had no idea why the Moblins had taken her out of that cell without Talon to accompany her. It couldn't be anything good but she was more than aware that she was being taken to Ganondorf. Nabooru was leading the way, still brainwashed by the influence of Ganondorf in ways Malon couldn't know and most certainly didn't want to know. Why her anyway? What did Ganondorf want with her? Maybe he wanted to make an example of her… or he had something far more sinister in mind. On the off chance that Ganondorf had taken some perverse interest in her, Malon was strongly going to consider leaping out the nearest window. Desperate and potentially fatal, but it'd be better than the alternative.

Nabooru opened a large door leading into the throne room in which Ganondorf was standing at a window with his back to the visitor. Malon noticed he wasn't wearing his cloak this time; it was all black and gold armor. Ganondorf had his arms behind his back and made no attempt to acknowledge the new presence in the room. Malon was getting a very bad vibe from the man in the black armor; so were the Moblins in fact, while Nabooru stayed stoic. The fact that Nabooru was as she was shook Malon to the bone. It was a strong indication that she was still under whatever spell Ganondorf had put on her.

"Leave us," Ganondorf quietly replied, and the Moblins released Malon before following Nabooru out of the room. After a long and very uncomfortable silence, Ganondorf turned his head and right shoulder over to face the girl. "You are afraid, yes?"

Malon could feel her eyes darting back and forth when Ganondorf gazed upon her. "A little…" she replied.

"You shouldn't be, for I've no reason to harm you," Ganondorf claimed and turned all the way around to meet Malon face to face; she looked away. Ganondorf smirked and sauntered to a table with various trays of food and drinks. "Would you care for a drink," When Malon didn't reply, Ganondorf stated, "You know, it's usually customary to be polite when the host offers you something."

"I don't want anything from you," Malon replied, to which Ganondorf simply took a sip of red wine from a glass. Malon then asked, "What did you do to that woman?"

"Nabooru," Ganondorf inquired. "I'd say I've expanded her mind. You see, Nabooru and I have never seen eye-to-eye on many things. When I declared my intentions to secure the Triforce for myself, she chose to oppose me. So, I had no choice but to…" Ganondorf paused to think of the very best way to explain and sip more of the wine down. "…make her see things from my perspective." He finished.

"Your perspective," Malon repeated. "You turned her into your own personal plaything."

Ganondorf swiftly slammed his glass down onto the table and the ensuing clatter of metal made Malon flinch. If it was possible for the farm girl to actually manage to strike a nerve in the warlord, she did it flawlessly. Ganondorf started to walk slowly toward Malon. He trained his yellow eyes on her, his gaze seeming to pierce into her soul. For reasons she couldn't explain, Malon stood her ground and didn't back away when Ganondorf was looming directly over her. But inside, she was shaking and fearing for her life. Ganondorf lightly brushed two fingers across her face, and Malon felt paralyzed with intimidation.

"I believe I told you once before, little girl," he said. "I could do to you what I did to Nabooru." Without warning, Ganondorf took a hard slap to the face from Malon.

"My name is Malon, you bastard." she snarled… and then she regretted the slap.

In a flash, Ganondorf grasped Malon by her neck and hoisted her off the floor all in one swift move. Malon found herself struggling in the death grip of the warlord, while Ganondorf reveled in the pure fear that he'd instilled in her. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes, but he was as unflinching as a mountain against the wind. The emotional distress within Malon did little to stem his anger toward the sheer disrespect she'd heaped on him. Ganondorf pulled Malon closer so they were so very literally nose-to-nose, face-to-face and eye-to-eye. He was making her think about it and she started to weep while struggling to catch her breath.

"I could snap you neck in two, but that would be too easy and a waste of my time," he angrily snarled. "Better if Nabooru did the deed. Better yet; I could compel Impa to do it. Do not believe for a moment that I know nothing of the conversations you share with her," he paused to let Malon think about it more. "Impa is strong-willed but no less susceptible to my influence. I could compel her kill you slowly and intimately in every way she knows that you would fear. Then I can make her kill everyone in captivity, your useless, lazy father included. After that, I might have her kill the Princess and her travelling companion… your friend. Then she'll wake just long enough to bear witness to her good work and when she screams in agony, I'LL SPLIT HER SKULL," Finally, Ganondorf dropped Malon to the floor and finished, "That is my oath to you, you sniveling little quim."

Like clockwork, Nabooru entered the room and pulled Malon upright. She didn't even give Malon a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes, but Malon did reply, "You're a monster, Ganondorf."

Ganondorf smiled wickedly and stated, "This world is full of monsters that most tend to fear… and every single one of those monsters fear me."

Nabooru began pulling Malon away from Ganondorf when Malon shouted out, "Link!"

Ganondorf glared at the girl and replied, "What was that?"

"My friend; he's name is Link," Malon declared even as Nabooru continued to pull at her. "He'll come for me and when he does… he'll kill you."

Ganondorf's sick smiled widened as he stated, "I rather doubt that and yet, I look forward to that moment."

Malon immediately regretted speaking of Link to Ganondorf since she knew deep down that were they ever to meet, Link wouldn't survive. Ganondorf knew that as well, hence his wicked expression and supposed eagerness to meet this so-called _hero_. It was a joke in the purest sense, and yet, Ganondorf felt a certain truth to the farm girl's words. This came from the fact that Ganondorf had seen her only once before on the day before the siege… and he remembered a boy standing beside her. That was this _Link_ person of whom the girl spoke. Ganondorf could only mutedly chuckle at the notion of a street urchin posing any sort of significant threat to his plans.

Yet, Ganondorf was curious about it to the point where he gazed at the back of his hand where the Crest of Power rested. It was only dimly lit but the top triangle shown slightly brighter than the others. Ganondorf clenched his hand into a fist. If it were to be the case, that street filth would rise to challenge him, Ganondorf would see to it that this _Link_ wouldn't survive.

* * *

It was the afternoon out in the wide open Hyrule Field when Link and Zelda made it out of the forest. In time, the sun would set over the horizon and the various creatures of the night would emerge. Link would've preferred not to be out on the field at that time, especially with the Princess in two and the Kokiri Emerald in their possession. Out at the entrance of the forest with their horses, Link and Zelda were accompanied by Saria and Mido. Spryte was also present as she was resting on Link's shoulder. She took in the smell of the grass and the sound of birds flying overhead and singing.

"Well, this is as far as we can go." Saria said.

Zelda rounded to look at the green-haired child and said, "You're not coming?"

"If we venture passed those trees arching over the alcove, we'll fade away into nothing," Saria revealed. "That's the price we forest children pay in order to stay young."

"Wow," Link quipped, stunned by the revelation about the forest. "You're saying you'd actually die if you left the forest," he asked, to which Saria responded with a nod. "I'm sorry." Link said rather genuinely.

Mido was still pouting and replied, "Yeah well, we like it better in the forest anyway. You Hylians can keep your big wide open fields and horses and stuff."

"I'll miss you too, runt," Link sarcastically quipped. Then Link knelt down by Mido and held out a hand. He said, "Thanks for the help, Mido."

Mido wasn't sure exactly what to make of the gesture but accepted it. "Meh, don't mention it."

With a smile, Link playfully pulled Mido's hat down over his face before taking his leave with Zelda and the horses. Spryte floated off of Link's shoulder and fluttered in place while turning around to gaze at Saria and Mido. She made this decision long ago; she wanted to explore the world and determined it was best that she join Link and Zelda on their journey. Saria encouraged the little fairy. Mido huffed but at least said his goodbyes. Looking back at the forest entrance for what was likely the last time she'd see it, Spryte was already starting to feel homesick. But it was no time to stand on ceremony, so Spryte returned to Link and Zelda, the both of them mounting their horses. Spryte landed on and sat on Link's shoulder.

"You know, Spryte; you don't have to come along with us." Link said.

"Yeah, I know I don't exactly _have_ to tag along; I just _want_ to. Besides; someone has to keep you two from fighting all the time." Spryte stated with a small hint of humor in her voice. Link wasn't sure how to respond.

"Would you like to tell me what happened with you and the Great Deku Tree, Link?" Zelda asked.

"You can't wait until we get back to the ranch?" Link wondered.

"I have a right to know something if it interests me." Zelda claimed.

"Typical; even after saving your rear from a pack of wolves and a group of ghosts, you're still a stuck-up Princess." Link stated with a smirk.

"Of course, and you're still a lowly thief." Zelda countered.

"Spoiled rich girl!"

"Filthy street urchin!"

"Overbearing jezebel!"

"Sewer-dwelling miscreant!"

"Hey, I still have the Hookshot."

"I still have my bow."

"Be careful you don't break a nail."

"I think it's well past your bedtime."

"Hey, can't we all just get along?" Spryte interjected.

Link and Zelda both loudly shouted, "NO!"

* * *

Author's Note: That's it for this chapter and thanks to Moon13Dreams for editing.

That flashback scene where Link learns of his mom and dad was inspired by _Ocarina of Time_. It also raises questions of who they were and what happened to them, but Link seems to now have a better understand of his importance.

The exchange between Ganondorf and Malon took some inspiration from a scene from _Marvel's The Avengers_ featuring Loki and Black Widow.

Finally, Spryte has joined Link and Zelda on their journey... too bad she can't keep them from trading insults. So tell me what you think; I'm open to feedback.


	17. We'll Always Have Lake Hylia

Disclaimer: It took some time to get this new chapter done but lo and behold, here it is. Oh and as of this writing, I'm removing the "Destiny Awaits" subtitle since... well, I kind of thinks it cheesy and not needed.

As always, me and my partner in crime (sorry Moon13Dreams; had to go there) don't own the rights to LoZ. It's all property of Nintendo.

* * *

Chapter XVI

After an argument filled journey back from Kokiri Forest, Link, Zelda, and Spryte made it back to Lon Lon Ranch just as the sun melted over the horizon and the stars began to fill the night sky. Then the moon appeared to replace the sun's guiding light, so to speak, while Link swiftly shut the outer gate to prevent uninvited guests from entering. For a moment, he was reminded of the simpler times he would go on evening rides with Epona; a time where he was so much more carefree, but was quickly reminded of the situation he was in as the Princess rode past him.

As they dismounted their steeds and walked them toward the stables, the three listened to the hooting sounds of an owl in the distance. Link saw the owl flying off into the distance; it was a very large bird with possibly dark brown feathers, but it was already so dark out that Link couldn't really tell for sure.

Unexpectedly, Spryte fluttered passed Link's face and then stopped short of a door to the modest looking house that Link proudly called home. She turned back to the two Hylians with awe. "Wow! You two live here?"

Zelda and Link traded glances and Zelda stated, "Well, he does; I don't."

"Yeah, she's more used to pink bed sheets and marble walls and vanity mirrors and all that other…" Link leered ever so humorously at the suddenly very peeved Princess. "…girly stuff."

"Yes, and he clearly prefers the dirt and grime and the stalls reeking of cow dung." Zelda retaliated in a tone of faked kindness.

"It's better than sitting my FAT, GHOST FEARING BUTT on a useless throne." Link responded with a sneer spread across his lips.

"You see, Spryte? We're the best of friends!" Zelda sarcastically quipped.

Spryte looked baffled at the bickering pair when she suddenly heard the sound of a crow in the distance. Forgetting about the two's bickering in her fear of being eaten, she quickly zipped back under Link's cap and stayed there. Link only blinked for a moment before taking off his cap and looking inside of it to see Spryte curled into a ball with her wings fluttering. She looked up at him and smiled and waved, and then Link glanced at Zelda. She had an expression on her face that was more amusing than infuriating to him. Link had also found it amusing that Spryte was hiding in his cap, but carefully put it back on his head so as to not disturb her. He and Zelda proceeded to take Epona and Ingo into the stables for the night.

After a few minutes of setting their horses into the respective pens, Link noticed that Zelda had disappeared from the stable. This was only about the second time the Princess had taken off without saying anything, but the first time she'd done so without absconding with a horse. This was a good thing according to Link; he was in no hurry to go and chase after her again. He had found it so bothersome the first time anyway. So, after taking his time to lock Epona and Ingo in the pens, Link retreated back outside. Zelda wasn't in the immediate area, but Link did eventually spot her out near the fenced-off portion of the field where the horses tended to frolic and graze.

Spryte reemerged out from under Link's cap while he approached Zelda, and that was when he noticed a faint green glow. It was the unmistakable glimmer of the Kokiri Emerald they'd recovered from the forest. As he inched closer, Link was getting that feeling that something very strange was about to take place… and he wanted to see it. So did Spryte. The pair was about a few inches from Zelda, her back to them and her head tilted down.

"Uh, Zelda…?"he said.

"Please be silent," Zelda whispered calmly, as if in a trance. "I'm attempting to commune with the Kokiri Emerald."

Link glanced down at Spryte, who simply shrugged at him before Link said, "Um…Ooooooo-Kay!"

Ignoring Link as she had been learning to do more easily as time passed, Zelda looked down at the emerald and started whispering to it. "Kokiri Emerald, jewel of the forest and last remnant of the Goddess Farore, I seek your guidance. Show us the way to the next jewel so that we might seek it out."

Link and Spryte looked on curiously while Zelda communed with the Kokiri Emerald, although it did appear that she'd lost her mind. He had already suspected that when they had met early on in their partnership, but this was the first real evidence he had so far. He was really debating whether she would actually be able to rule the land when a bright green ray of light suddenly burst out from the jewel and startled the trio. Spryte even zipped back under Link's cap as the strange event continued to escalate.

The green light began to grow brighter and then surround Zelda from front to back and back again sporadically. The light seemed almost to split into a series of ribbons and swirled around Zelda like a thousand snakes coiling around a single prey. These ribbons of green light weren't as treacherous as snakes, but that didn't quell the sense of foreboding Zelda felt welling up inside of her. Yet, at the same time, she felt almost at peace with the soft light. Almost.

Then, without a warning of indication or preparation, Zelda began to be slowly hoisted off of the ground by the emerald, as if it had a mind of its own. Link was eager right that moment to act, but what in the world could he do? He had no idea what was going on and this was something he didn't fully comprehend anymore than he did about his mysterious origins. But one thing he did know better than most was that something bad happened to Zelda, like it did Malon, Link wouldn't be able to forgive himself. So, unsheathing his sword, Link charged at the green light that was encasing Zelda…

And then he was knocked harshly back. The ground echoed with a heavy thud as he crashed back into it, his sword flinging several inches away from him. Link sat up, shaking his head clear of the dizziness that came from the outlandish bright light. It felt like he had run into a stone wall and the wall swatted him away. As he gained back his sense of placement, Link instinctively grabbed his fallen sword and prepared to charge again only to stop midway to Zelda. Though the light had made it hard to see her clearly, he noticed that something was off. She didn't look like she was in any form of agonizing pain. In fact, she was so still that she seemed to be in some semblance of absolute peace as the green light of the emerald swirled around her. Unlike Link, who saw only the Princess trapped in a blinding green light, Zelda saw much more.

It appeared to Zelda, whose eyes were opened wider than what should've been possible, that Kokiri Emerald was taking her on a journey through all of Hyrule all at once. Through the emerald, she saw her castle, Kokiri Forest, the Gerudo desert… every single known place that existed throughout the realm and beyond. It was all passing by her field of vision at a speed that rivaled the speed of light. There were so many things she was being shown and only able to absorb so much of it. She was trying to note everything she was being shown the best she could, only to succeed in being lost in a state of awe. Then, as quickly as the seemingly spiritual journey began, it steadily slowed down to a crawl. Zelda was still enthralled by the images that were racing through her mind before everything settled to one image alone; one of a cavern filled with water and fish-like inhabitants that ended with the sight of a blue jewel.

Zelda then fell back toward the ground as the light faded away, whereas Link quickly slid under and caught her. She'd just fallen into a state of unconsciousness. "Zelda? Zelda," Link said and lightly shook the Princess. "C'mon, wake up, Princess."

The Kokiri Emerald dropped to the ground a foot away from Link as he cradled Zelda in his arm, now only shimmering in a faint green glow. Right now, that was the last thing Link's mind. He was too focused on the fact that he couldn't stand being unable to aide someone else like he had been for Malon.

* * *

Hours had passed by well into the very early morning when Zelda finally came around from her unexpected slumber. The morning sun shined its light into the room while Zelda tilted her head to and fro before realizing she was in a bed with a partly thick bed sheet draped over her legs and up to her waste. Her cap and scarf were set on a bedside table nearby and her blonde hair was loose and sprawled across a pillow for her head. Zelda felt like she'd been through heavy, nonstop archery training and her head felt like it was ripped open. In a way, it was, because Zelda remembered something shown to her by the Kokiri Emerald. Instinct told her to inform Link, but Zelda saw that Link was already at her bedside.

He had his face towards her, resting his cheek on his arm while the rest of his body was seated in a chair that had been placed next to the bed, while the sun shined down across his back. On the floor alongside him laid his sword and shield while Spryte lay nestled in the folds of his cap that rested beside him, sleeping soundly in the shade of Link's shadow. To Zelda, who still didn't exactly care for the former-thief-turned-unwilling-partner, it was the most unexpected thing Link had done so far. At the same time, it was almost noble of him. In fact, she thought it was almost gentlemanly.

As she began to sit after her rest, Link began to stir from his slumber to see the Princess holding her head with a small moan. "Morning, sleeping beauty."

"How long was I unconscious?" Zelda asked as she rubbed her now pounding head.

Link stretched his arms out. "All through the night. The Kokiri Emerald knocked you out cold; I, um, had to carry you back inside."

She was stunned, but not entirely surprised. "You brought me back here? You were actually... concerned for my wellbeing?"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I could've left you in the stalls," Link quipped with a slight grin. "The Goddesses know I was tempted to…"

"I know where we need to travel," Zelda said suddenly, stopping Link mid-sentence. "The Kokiri Emerald showed me a vision of our next destination; Lake Hylia."

_You're welcome_, Link thought of Zelda's graditude before replying, "Lake Hylia? I know that place; it's where Malon and I went with her father to go fishing every once in a while," Link reminisced as Spryte was starting to awaken. "What're we going to find there?"

Zelda maneuvered herself to the side of the bed and sat there, gathering her thoughts. "We'll need to locate the entrance to Zora's Domain and from there we'll need to acquire the Zora Sapphire."

"Aren't the Zora, I don't know, not fond of the Royal Family?" Link asked, to which Zelda knew where he was coming from given.

"Queen Rutela has…_had_ a fragile truce in place between her people and my family," Zelda explained to Link. "I have to warn you, though; she will not tolerate trifling within her domain. So, be on your best behavior."

"I had no idea I was known for trifling," Link quipped sarcastically before Zelda shot a knowing glance at him. "I take your point… Well, guess we'd better have breakfast and get going." he said and started for the bedroom door.

"Wait," said Zelda, prompting Link to stop and turn to her. "You never told me what you discuss with the Great Deku Tree."

"Oh, that," Link said, not thinking about the conversation since it had occurred. "Well, turns out I did have a family once. They left me with the Great Deku Tree so I'd be protected from… an evil man, I think."

"Ganondorf?"

"Ganondorf. I guess it's no coincidence why I'm even involved in all this now." Link then exited the room while Zelda gathered her thoughts.

She wasn't sure of what to feel about what Link had explained to her aside from there had to be more to it. Link wasn't telling her the whole story, but that was likely because he didn't have the while story himself. He seemed eerily calm about it, Zelda noticed. It was as if he had a clearer understanding of his place in the world and why the Goddesses chose him to bear a piece of the Triforce. As she took all of this into deeper consideration, Link returned from outside the room by the door.

"What're you waiting for, Princess? We've still got a long journey ahead of us," he said. "Jump in."

As before, Zelda had a dumbfounded look on her face. "Wait; aren't you at all curious as to who your parents were?"

Link thought for a moment about the question and replied, "Well, yeah I am, but I'll probably never know if I'll just standing here. Will I?" Then Link disappeared into the hall again.

_I know I'd want to know_… Zelda thought.

* * *

After a hardy breakfast and restocking their supply of rations, Link and Zelda mounted the horses and depart from the ranch for only the second time since their journey together began. This time around, Zelda allowed Link to ride Epona while she rode upon Ingo. Link found it a surprising gesture from the normally conceited Princess. But it was maybe because Zelda was starting to have a better understanding of the former thief. They would still bicker from time to time; that was inevitable. But at least they wouldn't be likely to outright kill each other; so far as they knew. It was at that moment that Link halted Epona and caught Zelda by surprise. He was looking off into the distance at a tree half a mile from the walled off ranch.

Then in another strange act, Link galloped for that tree with Zelda in pursuit. This is one of the reasons that Zelda still didn't fully trust him; it was his on again/off again erratic behavior that irked her so. It was a miracle he hadn't been killed yet, either by a random enemy or by Zelda. Compelling Ingo to go faster, Zelda rode off after Link before he did anything stupid and saw that he'd already reigned Epona into slowing down to a trot and then to a full stop. He dismounted while Zelda eventually caught up to him and she dismounted off of Ingo. Link approached the tree while Spryte emerged from his pocket and saw a thoughtful look in his eyes; like this tree had some sentimental value to him. All Zelda saw was a tree.

"Would you mind explaining why we've stopped, Link?" Zelda asked with a raised brow.

Without glancing at the Princess, Link exclaimed, "No reason; just taking a trip down Memory Lane."

"What?"

"He said he's taking a trip down—" Spryte said before Zelda interrupted.

"I heard what he said, Spryte," she said and sent Spryte into a pout. "Just out of curiosity, what's so special about this tree?"

Link had a smirk on his face. "When I was a kid living at the ranch, I sort of had a pet that I shouldn't have. I named him Nova."

"So you had a dog named Nova that you played with as a child. That's actually quite adorable." Zelda exclaimed. She wouldn't be prepared for what Link was about to tell her next.

With a sly grin and cocked eyebrow, he stated, "Actually, Nova was a baby dragon."

Mounting Epona once again with a smirk, Link galloped off to the east toward the location of Lake Hylia. Zelda remained where she stood with the same dumbfounded, wide-eyed look as ever, even wondering how many more times Link was going to surprise her. He inadvertently invaded her dwelling at the castle, cooked a surprisingly good meal, saved her from a pack of wolves and now, he claimed that his supposed first pet was a baby dragon named Nova. Did they even still exist?

* * *

The gallop to Lake Hylia lasted to the better part of the afternoon with the sun nearly at the top of the sky. Link and Zelda eventually found themselves coming to a stop near an open path going down a narrow passage, a surprisingly light breeze emanating from the passage. There was a hint of moisture in the breeze which indicated they were close to their destination. A wooden sign at the base of the path, dilapidated from years of disrepair, vaguely read "THIS WAY TO LAKE HYLIA". Taking the direction to heart, the pair rode onward up the path. Another breeze of moist air hit them with a soothing touch across their faces. With all the chaos of the past few days since Ganondorf's take over, the breeze was a welcome change.

Bringing Epona and Ingo to a slow pace up the passage with the breeze still permeating their faces, Link and Zelda eventually found themselves in newly wide open terrain. Trees and bushes and all other manner of shrubbery lined the grassy landscape while distant hills offered a peaceful barrier from the world beyond. The most awe-inspiring feature was, of course, the huge body of water that stretched out well toward the hills with the sun's light gleaming off the surface. The breeze continued to blow across the water creating ripples when Link and Zelda dismounted from Epona and Ingo. Spryte emerged from Link's cap and flutter to the surface of the lake. She saw her reflection in the water and looked further down at the numerous fish swimming below.

"Careful, Spryte." Link called while he tied Epona to a nearby tree.

"I'm fine, Link. What's the worst that could happen?" Spryte called back, and then she yelped at the site of a fish trying to catch her. She flew off and zipped back under Link's cap.

"Told you so." Link quipped with a small chuckle, and Spryte smacked his forehead; he didn't feel a thing.

Zelda ignored the fairy and the former thief, instead taking her bow and an arrow in her hands. She then, for reasons Link and Spryte couldn't fathom, started walking into the water of the lake. She went until she was about knee deep in the water before placing the arrow onto the bow string. She raised the weapon high, very high, aiming it toward the sun at the top of the sky. She then let the arrow fly. In less than a second, the arrow was gone from the views of the trio, and Link inwardly questioned why Zelda would waste a perfectly good arrow. But he and Zelda just missed something jutting up from under the water.

Zelda waded out of the water and just as Link was about to question her about the whole arrow-to-the-sun thing, an aquatic looking creature began ascending from the water. Link instinctively drew his sword and shield as the creature emerged. It appeared to be humanoid but with silvery scales and caudal-like tails where some people tended to have hair. Its face appeared semi-angular with nearly pitch black eyes and a pronounced nose but seemed to lack ears. It also had caudal extensions from off it abdomen as well as gills and webbed hands and feet.

This was likely one of the Zora which Zelda talked about, and it didn't appear happy to see either her or Link. It carried a spear in its right webbed hand and a round shield in its left. It wasn't alone; more of the Zora emerged from the water, all with similar weapons to the one that was likely the leader. He approached Zelda with a stoic expression that betrayed his otherwise elegant appearance and he studied her closely. It was very difficult to tell what he was thinking with those black eyes, but Link reasoned that it couldn't be good for Zelda or himself.

"Why do you come here?" he asked with a small hint of an aquatic tone in his voice.

Zelda motioned to Link to sheath his weapons, which he did albeit reluctantly. "I am Princess Zelda of the Royal Family of Hyrule."

"We know who you are," the Zora claimed, unimpressed with Zelda's standing. "My name is Mikau and I will speak on behalf of Queen Rutela. You've come a long way from you're castle, Princess."

"Ganondorf has seized my castle and has murdered my father in his attempt to acquire the Triforce. It is paramount that I seek an audience with Queen Rutela immediately if Ganondorf is to be stopped."

"Queen Rutela does not wish to suffer the likes of a Hylian Princess," said Mikau. "I suggest that for your own sake, you and your companion leave now and do not return." With that, Mikau turned away from Zelda.

Link, however, wasn't about to walk away. He stepped forward and spat out, "Hey, fish face, we didn't come all this way just to be forced to turn around and go home. The Princess wants to talk to your Queen what's-her-name and you're going to make it happen."

In a sudden flash, Mikau spun around and pointed the tip of his spear at Link's face. "You will not speak ill of our Queen, Hylian." he snapped.

"Or what, fish face? You flay me alive?" Link snapped back and a standoff followed.

_He's going to get us killed._ Zelda thought with a sigh.

Mikau gripped the handle of his spear, appearing ready to strike. His troops were even eager to help him. Link stood his ground, ready to unsheathed his sword and fight back against the pompous fish. Their eyes met and they were waiting for the other to blink. But then, Mikau turned his head away and closed his eyes. Link thought he'd won the staring contest, but it never occurred to him that Mikau was listening to a voice in his head. He backed away and held his spear upright, motioning his troops to stand down.

"Princess Zelda," he said. "Queen Rutela wishes to meet with you now. Follow us."

"How does he..." Link began to ask before Zelda gave him semi-gentle tap to shut him up.

Mikau walked to the base of the lake and stopped with his webbed feet in the water. With a tap of his spear in the water, the lake water began to slowly recede. The paced quickened as the water emptied from the lake and exposed the bottom of the lake. Link and Zelda could only stare in awe as the lake water vanished. Stone steps formed before the group and lead down to the bottom of the lake to an entrance to somewhere. Mikau started down the steps with his troops following, and Zelda and Link followed them down to where… they were unsure.

* * *

Author's note: Somehow, this chapter came out better than I thought it would. Thanks to Moon13Dreams for their contributions.

The little, I guess you can call it a spirit quest, that Zelda was an original idea to inforce the importance for the jewels in the story. Also, we opted to introduce the Zora as opposed to the Gorons which is a slight departer from the norm. The Zora here have a slightly more militant feel to them.

Mikau is the name of one of the key items from Majora's Mask, the character itself said to have been killed by Gerudo pirates in the game. Queen Rutela, who was mentioned here, is a character from Twilight Princess. She'll be introduced in the next chapter.

The arrow-to-the-sun thing was a small reference to the acquisition of the fire arrow from OoT.

By the way, Link had a pet dragon named Nova. Awwwww!

That's it for now, so give us a shoutout and we'll see you next time.


	18. A Frosty Reception

Disclaimer: Nice to see that there are some reviews coming around; good or bad, it doesn't matter so long as they keep the story alive. Moon13Dreams managed to beta this one fairly quickly. Much appreciated for the effort, and much appreciated for the reviews as well.

Next chapter starts right now, and we don't own the rights to LoZ.

* * *

Chapter XVII

Link and Zelda stayed in close proximity to each other as Mikau lead them through a dimly lit passageway littered by a series of torches. By now, the water had to have completely refilled the lake as if nothing happened at all, but that was hard to know for certain. What was known between the mismatched pair and their fairy companion was this; they weren't truly at Lake Hylia anymore, but somewhere deep beneath its surface. Link often came to Lake Hylia with Malon and Talon to partake in some relaxing fishing excursions in the past. All he ever saw was a huge blue lake and various fish of all shapes and sizes; it never occurred to him that a passageway to the domain of the Zora ever existed within it. Zelda might've known, being a Princess and all, but still… after getting involved in the chaos that had fallen over Hyrule, Link should've known not to be so naïve to the secrets buried within the land.

As Mikau led them further down the passageway, they noticed that fresh, cool water dripped from stalactites that hung from the ceiling above them. Those tiny droplets fell to puddles on the ground and gave off miniscule echoes throughout the passage that made the Hylian pair feel a little enchanted. The two thought it was both haunting and soothing to hear the drips of water into puddles, yet somehow, being among the Zora warriors made Link and Zelda uneasy; Mikau and his apparently militant outlook didn't help matters. The passageway began to widen out and a light appear at the end, bringing a slight relief to the forcibly partnered pair that they weren't going to be completely alone with the Zora warriors who easily out numbered them. At the same time, at the end of the tunnel, they knew more Zora were waiting for them and Link was hoping that they weren't falling into a trap.

Eventually reaching the very end of the passageway, Link and Zelda found themselves within an enormous cavern with a path leading from the passage they were traveling that winded around a smooth surface of rock toward the ceiling and into a new passage. A huge waterfall poured down from an opening near the ceiling with droplets of water that looked as if they were sparkling diamonds as they fell into an equally large pool of crystalline water that lay below. In the pool were seemingly dozens of Zora swimming above and below while from the top of the waterfall, a single Zora dove down into the water, landing in the water below with a perfect form as water splashed up from where they hit the pool. It was awe-inspiring for Link to see, though he'd never even think of attempting such a dive. Not as far as he knew, anyway.

Zelda, on the other hand, was more interested in the sounds rather than the sights. She could hear somewhere beyond the pool the sounds of music being played. It didn't sound like the tunes were resonating from random instruments, but from the Zora themselves; they gave a haunting, siren-like sound that would've put even the hardest of Hylians in a trance. The fact that Zelda was hardly affected by the sound was a testament to her resolve. Then the music suddenly and inexplicably paused, filling the cavern with as much silence as the waterfall allowed; the reason for this was Link and Zelda. The second they appeared, every single Zora in the cavern stopped whatever it was doing, whether be it swimming, playing, or singing, to look right at the new arrivals. Their individual expressions were a mix of indifference and suspicion.

It made Spryte more than a little nervous when she left the safety of Link's cap and rested on his shoulder. "I don't think these Zora are happy to see us, Link." she muttered in his ear.

"Yeah, I'm getting that feeling." Link whispered back, just before he saw Mikau staring right at him, scaring Spryte back under Link's cap.

Zelda dreaded that Mikau would attack Link and Spryte in a heartbeat, but Mikau simply and stoically stated, "Very few have ever visited our domain from the surface. Consider yourselves fortunate that you stand on upon these grounds. Now come; Queen Rutela awaits."

Zelda shot a glance at Link, which was filled more with concern rather than agitation as it usually was, as they followed Mikau further up the winding path. The Zora in the cavern continued to stare at the Hylians with mixed expressions, though some returned to their random activities after a while. Link was tempted to take out his Hookshot and go fishing right about now, but he reasoned with himself that, that would do more harm than good and he was sure that Zelda would agree as well. This Mikau character clearly was the type with whom neither of them should be trifling as Zelda put it earlier.

Mikau continued to guide the two young Hylians up the path until they reached the apex of the climb and then began to lead the two into the following chamber. It was smaller and more enclosed than the otherwise enormous cavern with the giant pool that they had just passed through, but it was also far more decorative than the prior cavern. Torches of fire lit the enclosed space; two moderately sized aqua blue banners hung from the nearly carved stone walls and a set of stone steps rested front and center. A modest throne with curved armrest and no back rested atop the steps. There was a small canal no more than a six feet deep leading away from the throne toward an exit of some sort.

Link, Zelda, and Spryte noticed a stream of bubbles coming up from the beyond the canal and then they saw movement below the surface of the water. Then from out of the water came another Zora and this one was immediately different in the eyes of the Hylians. This Zora was clearly female, but retained some of the key features of Mikau or any other Zora; the very same shimmering scales and caudal extensions from her abdomen and webbed hands and feet.

There were the differences as well beside the gender of Zora. For one thing, she was beautiful and had a more slender figure. She moved out from the water with a more sensual and graceful style that seemed to further illustrate her aquatic beauty. Her fish-like skin was not silvery, but possessed more of a bright red hue. Her face appeared much more humanoid than those of the other Zora, with a less pronounced nose and small ears and full lips. She still had the near pitch-black eyes but they had a more slanted shape. Interestingly, she lacked a tail upon her head. In its place were bright red/yellow strands that could pass for tiny cartilage or tentacles. She brushed her hand through the tentacle like any woman would whenever she rose up from under a body of water.

She caught sight of her visitors and appeared somewhat intrigued by the presence of the Hylians. "Well, well; Princess Zelda, it's been years since we've seen each other," she mused and approached Zelda. "My, how you've grown into a stunning young woman. Not like me, of course."

"Queen Rutela, you're still as self-loving as ever, I see." Zelda responded with a small hint of hostility.

Queen Rutela simply smirked and glance at Link. "So, who's you cute little friend here? You're not settling down, are you?"

"My name is Link, and the Princess and I aren't dating. We don't even like each other." Link said, much to Zelda's annoyance… again. They both hated how most everyone they had encountered so far had thought they were romantically involved with each other.

"So, you're available…" Rutela mused and made Link nervous. He didn't like where this was going; he didn't like it one bit.

Mikau stepped forward, and Link was actually thankful for his intervention. "My Queen," he said. "These two Hylians have come seeking an audience with you of utmost importance. They claim that Ganondorf has taken over the Royal City."

"Is that the way of it?" Rutela asked nonchalantly.

"It is, Rutela," Zelda stated. "We came to your domain hoping to acquire your most prized possession, the Zora Sapphire. With it, we'd be a step closer to discovering the resting place of the Master Sword."

Rutela studied Zelda and the words she spoke with some marked interest. Or, she was studying ink and not paying attention; it was too hard to tell. Either way, the news of Ganondorf taking the Royal City was not a particular issue with her. Ganondorf was no ally of the Zora, but the fact was this; he was Zelda's problem, not Rutela's, but it was the talk of the Zora Sapphire that caught Rutela's attention. The prized jewel of sorts was a family heirloom, the last remaining trinket left to Rutela by her father, the late King Ruto, and she wasn't about to relinquish it without good reason.

But just to assuage the needs of the Princess of Hyrule and her commonwealth companion, whom she found surprisingly cute, Rutela stroll to the wall that nearest to her throne. With a wave of her webbed hand, a large portion of the wall that was just above her height gave way and slipped from view. Inside a hidden compartment was an ornate pedestal of the same making as the throne. A shimmering blue jewel decorated with golden pieces curving in between the corners of the jewel. Rutela traced her finger across the top corner of the Zora Sapphire that has been in her family since before she was even a star in the sky or a minnow in the waters of Lake Hylia.

"Answer me this, Zelda, why should I surrender the sacred jewel of my family to the likes of you," she asked and turned from the Sapphire to Zelda and Link. "Ganondorf attacked your home, not mine. Why should I stick my neck out for you?"

"Ganondorf seeks to gain possession of the Triforce and to use it for his own ends," Zelda explained, though Rutela was not convinced. Zelda continued, "If he were to succeed, everything and everyone in Hyrule would be at his mercy, including the Zora."

"The Zora have done nothing to anger Ganondorf in any way. We have no reason to fear him." Mikau exclaimed.

"Really? See if you still feel that way when Ganondorf comes knocking at your door." Link spat, and he and Mikau came face to face.

"We Zora are a proud race trained in the art of battle, unlike many of the soft Hylians that walk the land from which you come, boy." Mikau spat back.

"Enough," said Rutela, and Mikau backed away without taking his black eyes off of Link. "Princess, even if I was willing to give you my family heirloom, I couldn't. But, maybe there's a way we can help each other."

"We're listening…"Zelda said.

Rutela pulled away from the Sapphire to let the wall close in front of it. "There's a cavern beyond the reservoir that feeds the lake above that shouldn't be open. A deadly and treacherous creature of ice roams within. My people called it the Wizzrobe; its touch alone can turn even the bravest of warriors into blocks of ice."

"Let me guess; you want us to kill this Wizzrobe thing!" Link concluded and though at the same time, _There's always a caveat!_

"Yes, and then you need to seal the cavern up again. Do this for me and the Zora Sapphire is yours to take and do with as you see fit." Rutela explained and started toward to the interior river that led from her throne. "Now, perhaps you should follow me."

Queen Rutela led the Hylians out the waterlogged passage from her throne room to the site of the reservoir that fed water up to Lake Hylia. Mikau took up the rear, spear in hand and still suspicious of the Hylians that were, in his mind, trespassing on sacred ground. Link shot a glance at Mikau, equally wary of him. They didn't like each other anymore than Link liked Zelda from the start of their journey. At least, he was just starting tolerate her. Mikau, not so much.

* * *

By the time the group reached the edge of the reservoir, the first thing they noticed was a lone Zora sitting on the bank. He was clearly short and pudgy compared to the normally slenderer members of his species and had a grungier shade of gray to his skin. He turned to see the group approaching. His face was about as pudgy as could be expected, but he had the same black eyes as every other Zora that Link and Zelda had met. Then he went back to what was doing, sitting on the bank of the reservoir seemingly without a care in the world.

The two weren't sure what to make of the fat Zora, but their attention switched to the reservoir itself. There were several large patches of ice floating across the surface of the water. They seemed to form a bridge toward a large opening on the far cliff side with patches of ice tracing along the edges. A cool breeze blew out from the cavern and washes across the more vulnerable faces of the Hylians while Rutela, Mikau, and the mystery Zora were seemingly unfazed by it. Spryte emerged from Link's cap and regretted it when the cool breeze seemed to nearly blow her away. Link continued to leer at the pudgy Zora who was sitting completely idle and then he decided to ask Rutela a question.

"So, this Wizzrobe thing; exactly how much of a problem is it going to be?" he asked.

"Aside from turning you into an icicle with a touch, the Wizzrobe is also able to make duplicates of itself to surround and overwhelms its victims," Rutela explained before turning to Link. "But you look like you handle it, cutie." Then she winked at Link and made him cringe, while Spryte let out a little giggle.

Zelda also found a little ping of humor in it, but upon reaffirming herself, she said, "You stated before that the cavern isn't supposed to be open."

"Exactly, and since the cavern can really only be opened from out here," Rutela stated, then gazing at the cavern entrance before looking back at Zelda and finishing. "It leaves me to believe that a traitor walks among my people. Mikau, you'll remain behind to ferret out this traitor and bring them before me, while I will accompany our guests into the cavern."

Mikau was taken aback by the request of his Queen and stated, "Your Highness, with respect, I cannot allow you to venture into the ice caverns with these Hylian surface dwellers."

"I'm quite capable of taking care of myself, Mikau. Besides, I'm sure the Princess and her…" Rutela shot another somewhat provocative glance at Link, which he unfortunately noticed and cringed at. Rutela finished, "…companion can handle what lies within the cavern. It was Link, was it?"

"I think she likes you." Spryte whispered in Link's ear, to which she was rewarded with Link shoving the fairy back under his cap for saying such an awful thing.

Rutela continued to almost playful antagonize Link with a wink of her eye before she started on her way to the cavern, first wading into the water and then diving right in. Like a shot, she bolted all the way to the entrance to cavern within a second, almost like she was demonstrating her superior swimming skills. Then as quickly as she dived into the water, Rutela jumped out and landed in the mouth of the cavern. She turned back and looked, as if waiting for Link and Zelda for follow suit of her efforts. They were amazed that she managed to get from the bank to the cavern entrance so quickly and they knew they couldn't possibly match that kind speed.

So they had to take the long way. Link took his first step onto the ice to make sure it was stable. It didn't buckle under his weight, but he wasn't going to take a chance. He started across the patch in a slow, steady gait. He could already hear the faint sound of ice cracking under each step he took until he found his way to an apparent dead end. Another patch of ice floated in front of the first. Link looked back at Zelda, seeing that she was about to follow him onto his patch. They came to a similar conclusion; if both were on the same patch at the same time, they'd both fall into the water.

Link put up his hand and three fingers and then started counting down. Then he jumped from the first patch to the next while Zelda stepped onto the first one that Link occupied moments ago. Zelda was fortunate that she was at least a bit more nimble than Link with much less weight to carry in her bow. Link still had the sword and shield, which made it slightly more difficult for him to cross over those ice patches. He did suffer a slight misstep when his right foot went briefly into the water and then quickly yanked it back. A stinging feeling of cold rushed up to his ankle as he dropped to a knee.

"Link, are you alright?" Zelda called out. It kind of sounded as if she actually genuinely concerned for Link.

Link was rubbing his ankle to get some feeling back into it when he called back, "Don't touch the water, Zelda. It's freezing."

The trek from the bank to the cavern entrance didn't take too long. Link and Zelda timed their approach as best as they could without endangering each other. Link made it to the mouth of the cavern where Rutela was waiting while Zelda was starting the cross over the final ice patch. But she encountered a problem when that patch began to list to the left. Instinctively, she dropped to all fours as the patch was now tilted to the side. Link pulled out the Hookshot and fired and; the blade embedded itself into the ice to try to stabilize the patch.

Zelda had to act fast to keep from falling into the water and scrambled across the patch of ice. Every frantic move she made caused the patch to bob in the cold water. She could hear the ice fracturing under her; it was going to give way. Zelda got to her feet and, in a huge risk, bolted for the cavern mouth. The patch was giving way fast with each move she made and in desperation, Zelda jumped the cavern. She made it if only barely when Link grabbed her hand. Zelda still ended up dipping her right leg in the icy water, feeling the stinging chill through the fabric of her outfit. Link pulled her up onto solid ground where Zelda quickly tried to rub the chill away.

"You okay?" Link asked.

"I'll survive," Zelda replied and glared at Rutela. "You didn't think to warn us about the water?"

"My apologies, Zelda. My people have become quite so adept at swimming in frigid waters over the years that we didn't take consideration for the…less evolved races." Rutela claimed with something like a sense of veiled sarcasm.

"You still could've warned us." Link snapped.

Rutela simply shrugged and replied, "The ice caverns are just up ahead. Shall we?"

Without waiting for answer, Rutela made her way into the cavern while Link helped Zelda to her feet. "You know something, Princess," Link said. "I never thought I'd find someone who was more of a royal pain than you are."

Zelda glared at Link and replied, "For once, I agree with you, Link."

Then they followed Rutela into the cavern, where the Wizzrobe was waiting.

* * *

Author's Note: This chapters is in the books and I say thanks again to **Moon13Dreams** for the assist.

This chapter features the first appearance of Queen Rutela. Please bare in mind that I never played Twilight Princess, so my physical despription of her might not be completely accurate. Also, she seems to have an eye for poor Link; that's a nod to otherwise annoying Princess Ruto from Ocarina of Time.

Zora's Domain in this story is pretty much model after its appearance in OoT, complete with that cool waterfall portion and the throne room.

The Wizzrobe was mentioned as well which would basically make it the, I guess we'll call it the _Boss_ like the Poes that came before. Send a shout out and review.


	19. Into The Mouth Of Cold

Disclaimer: It occured to me that this story was favorited a number of times and yet, those who favorited it hardly ever review. I'm not whining about it; just voicing an opinion. Then again, maybe I should practice what I preach.

By the way, chapters may be slow incoming due to my being in the middle of moving to a new place.

With all that out of the way,time to get on with the next chapter. We (myself and **Moon13Dreams**) don't own the right to LoZ.

* * *

Chapter XVIII

During their traveling through the frozen cavern, Zelda decided she didn't like the cold. Her right leg was still a bit numb after that unexpected dip in the frigid water of the reservoir and she had a noticeable limp in her step. Link wasn't that far off with his left ankle still suffering a slightly lower chill. Both of them felt the effects of the icy water and needless to say, they both weren't very enthused about it. Rutela, who insistent in accompanying the pair, strolled on ahead of them with ease. She wasn't experiencing any ill effects from her own icy swim through the frigid reservoir, the benefit of her species' adaptability to such extreme temperatures.

The trio had begun their venture into the ice cavern while Mikau was ordered by Rutela to remain behind to search for a supposed traitor among the Zora. One thing Rutela didn't like were traitors, especially if they were among her own people. She was hopeful that Mikau would mete out that traitor, if any, and bring them to justice. But even as the thought of a traitor irritatingly lingered in her mind, it was time now to shift her focus to that of a tour guide through the ice cavern for the two Hylian visitors.

It was at one moment when Rutela noticed that Link had stopped briefly to study the walls. Ice partially covered the rocky surface while the ground was nearly devoid of ice altogether. He thought the concept of it strange, but didn't ponder much more on it as the elegant Zora called back at him.

"Stay close, Link," Rutela urged. "It's very easy to get lost in here."

_Good idea, _Link thought.

Just as he went to catch up with Rutela and Zelda, Spryte had curiously ventured from the confines of his cap. She regretted it instantly once she felt the shiver of the cold in the cavern batter against her skin as she fluttered around studying the icy walls as Link had done; even seeing her reflection in the sheen of the ice. It was interesting and a bit unnerving to see her face in the ice, as if she was frozen on the other side. Spryte closely examined the ice while gazing at her reflection. Then, for one split second, her reflection seemed to react by seemingly lunging right at her. The sight, as brief as it was, spooked Spryte to the point of her covering her mouth just to keep from screaming out.

It was still enough to draw Link back to the fairy girl just in time for Spryte to flutter behind his shoulder with a nervous furrow of her brow. "What is wrong with you, Spryte?"

"I saw something; in the ice." Spryte was pointing at the icy surface to where she saw… well, she actually wasn't really sure what she saw.

Link looked to where she was pointing and only saw his reflection. "Seriously?" he exclaimed with marked skepticism, looking at Spryte with a raised brow.

Whatever Spryte might've seen was either long gone or never there in the first place, so Link rejoined Zelda and Rutela in their venture into the cavern. But as he and the fairy turned away, they missed the movement of something behind them.

The group ventured further into the ice cavern with Rutela guiding them along. So far, they hadn't encountered anything hostile aside from the Keese that made a home of the icy cavern. They didn't bother the group, instead remaining perched on the mostly frozen over ceiling of the cavern. As they stayed motionless as the hung upside down, Link began to wonder if the little creatures were alive or not and hoped that if they were dead, they wouldn't plummet down to the ground below like icicles.

Though the group continued to venture further, there was still the chill of the air in the cavern. More often than not, Zelda had to cover up her face with her scarf while Spryte slipped under Link's cap find some warmth. Link felt like he'd gotten something of the short straw, and he did what he could do to keep warm by rubbing his chest, knowing that rubbing his arms would be a mute point. Rutela was fortunate enough that her species was used to the cold, though even she would admit that she preferred someplace a bit warmer.

They continued onward into the cavern as it seemed to grow colder the further they went, but Zelda couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched and not by the seemingly motionless Keese. She was starting to think Spryte might be on to something, because Zelda thought she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. If it was another Poe, she thought, she'd be long gone. She wasn't willing to put up with another one of those; she thought she was going to die last time, she was so scared.

She continued on with Link and Rutela until the group found themselves in a large area. Pillars of ice and snow stood up from a completely frozen over pool of water. Icy platforms connect to each other by narrow paths rested atop the pillars.

Oddly enough, the room was lit by some source of light that none among the group could see clearly enough. The room itself seemed to feel even colder than outside. Link noticed something atop on the pillars. It looked like fire, dancing and burning as it always did. Except, it was bright blue instead of the normal bright red and orange with which fire was usually burned.

"That's weird; I've never seen fire like that before." Link muttered.

"I have." Zelda replied.

Rutela was strolling across the frozen water like it wasn't an issue. "That blue fire is the only thing that can kill a Wizzrobe. We may need it in the event it strikes. And trust me; it _will _strike."

"I guess that means we have to retrieve, and by _we_, I mean _me_. By myself… alone!" Link leered at Zelda.

"No, you won't be alone," Zelda said. "I'll be right behind you."

"And I'll be right here providing you with emotional support." Rutela quipped with a sly grin.

"Yeah, thanks a lot." Link with a roll of his eyes.

With a sigh and shake of his head, Link started to make way up the pillar to the blue fire. First he had to climb atop a pair of snow covered steps, neither of which caused him too much trouble. Bit of powder-like snow left the steps with each step Link took. Then he hosted himself up onto the pillar, staying on all four at first to keep from slipping. The pillar wasn't as slick as the frozen water below, but Link wasn't about to take any chances with it. He stood up slowly and carefully until he was upright, holding his arms out slightly to his sides to keep his balance. He could almost hear the ice under his feet creaking.

Zelda followed him up the same way, and she at least proved a bit more nimble in her ascent. Though that was expected since she had less to carry that Link did. Link still helped her up onto the pillar so she wouldn't slip off, and Zelda understood that fragility of the ice as much as he did now. That meant that they had to be careful as they traversed the bridges that connected one pillar to the next. And traverse they did.

Link went first, taking the first of many slow, careful steps across the icy and narrow bridge. The ice continued to creak under him with every step. Zelda followed but kept a reasonable distance from Link as he crossed. The last thing either of them needed was for this bridge to buckle under them. At least they didn't have to worry about fall into the icy water of the reservoir. Link eventually made it the next pillar and took a moment to collect himself while Zelda was halfway to him. She could vaguely hear the faint creaking of ice before she made it to the pillar which Link was one.

They took a few moments to rest before starting across the second icy bridge, this one narrower that the first. Link took the lead again, taking careful step after careful step while listening to the continued creaking of the ice under his feet. Zelda was about to follow when she and Link head a slight cracking sound. The bridge had just lost a shard of ice that fell down to the frozen water below and shattered on impact.

"Link, are you okay?" Zelda said.

"I'm fine. Stay there, Zelda; I've got this." Link replied and continued on.

His movement was slow and steady and he was developing a cold sweat, if that was even possible. The ice creaked more and more as he went, forcing him to slow his progress. Halfway across, another shard of ice fell from the bridge. When another shard fell, Link took a chance and bolted for the platform on which the blue fire rested on an ice-made pedestal. Link looked back to that the ice bridge hadn't collapsed yet, but Zelda wasn't about to take the same kind of chance he did. The blue fire was right in front of Link, burning in a blue hue while tiny sparks of light danced away from it. It was enough for Spryte to jolt out of Link's cap and examine it for herself. Link noticed that Spryte looked almost mesmerized by the flame and she was inching closer to it without realizing it.

Just as she was about to touch the flame, Link pulled her away and unknowingly passed his own gloved hand through the flame. Spryte snapped out of her trance to see Link looked down at her. "What happened?" she asked.

"You nearly burned yourself in that fire, Spryte. Be more careful." Link chastised.

"Sorry, but," Spryte fluttered from Link's palm and back to the flame. "This might sound strange, but this fire doesn't feel all that hot."

Spryte was right; it did sound strange. But Link was curious enough to remove his glove and place his hand in the flame. He reached and then he pulled back. Then he reached again and kept it there. The flame didn't burn; it didn't feel at all hot as Spryte stated. Instead, it felt cold as ice. Link pulled his hand back, studied it closely, even flexed his fingers and found no signs of physical damage. It was the strangest thing Link had seen in this journey so far and he'd seen a lot. But his awe was interrupted by a faint whisper of a sound like faint breathing in the background.

Zelda heard the whisper too but she wasn't sure if it was coming from somewhere or nowhere at all. "What was that?" she asked.

Rutela listened to the low whisper in the distance and replied, "The Wizzrobe is near; we need to hurry. Grab that fire and let's continue onward."

Link wasn't sure how in the name of Hyrule he was going to grab the flame. This was fire they weren't talking about. It would likely extinguish the second he touched it. He was still trying to figure out why it was so cold. Then an idea struck him and he reached in his satchel before pulling out an empty milk bottle. Zelda was watching from atop her pillar but wasn't entirely sure what Link was up to… until he started inching the bottle close to flame. She put it all together and noted the brilliance of Link. He was attempting to procure a sample of the blue fire in the bottle, similar to the lantern used by the Poes.

Link retrieved enough of the flame and quickly sealed the bottle, holding it triumphantly in his hand for Zelda to see. Now, he was just showing off, she thought with a sigh. Putting the bottled flame back in the satchel, Link started back across the ice bridge… and heard a loud snap. Without warning, the bridge gave way and Link felt to the frozen water with a thud amid bits of broken ice and powdery snow. The impact caused him to let out a heavy grunt that echoed throughout the room and well beyond it. Link was slow to rise, feeling the pain of falling from what felt like ten feet in the air. But he was more worried about the bottle of blue fire he'd acquired moments ago.

His concerns over the bottle were replaced by the whispers from beyond. The Wizzrobe was approaching. Link was helped up by Rutela, who gave him a quick look over that made him nervous, while Zelda returned to them from atop the pillar. The whispers grew ever closer and seemed be coming from everywhere. Deciding it was time to move on, Rutela started down the next passage from the room with Zelda and Link close behind her. Just as they were about to leave the room, a sudden gust of frigid air came through the room and directly at them. The force of the air blast sent them to the snow covered ground, and the icy temperature caused the exposed skin of Zelda and Link to turn red.

Then it appeared; the Wizzrobe. It resembled an icy sculpture with jagged protrusions of ice sticking out from its top that seemed to resemble a king's crown but lacked a face. It let out a low moan as it approached the group, going right for Rutela first. From its crown-like top, the Wizzrobe blurted out a whiff of ice cold mist at the Zora Queen. Rutela sidestepped and the mist froze the spot where she stood while the Wizzrobe continued to pursue her. As it did, an arrow became embedded in its form.

Zelda let three more arrows fly and embed into the Wizzrobe to draw it away from Rutela, but now the creature focused on her instead. It let loose with another whiff of icy mist, freezing an oncoming arrow. The frozen arrow fell to the icy ground and shattered on impact. Zelda let another arrow fly and the same result occurred before the Wizzrobe was right on top of her. Desperately, she took her bow and swung wild, striking the Wizzrobe in the crown but causing no damage at all. Zelda watched in shock as a protrusion formed from the Wizzrobe, almost like a limb. Then with a sudden swipe, the Wizzrobe knocked Zelda down.

Her bow was thrown from her hands. She was sent crashing to the icy ground with ground just as the Wizzrobe loomed over her. Just as the creature was preparing to ice Zelda, Link charged into the fray with sword and shield in hand. With a quick swipe, Link chopped of the makeshift appendage. It didn't stop the Wizzrobe from spewing its ice breath, forcing Link to block it with his shield. He could still feel the cold around him but pushed back against the Wizzrobe with his shield. The shield struck the Wizzrobe, forcing it to halt its assault and giving Link the opportunity to strike.

Link began hacking at the Wizzrobe, cutting random bits of it away from the whole with the blade of his sword. The pieces fell and seemed to fade away, but it occurred to Link that the Wizzrobe was already reforming those lost bits of itself, including the appendage. It formed a second appendage and made a grab for Link. Link again was able to block the attempt, batting the appendage away with his shield and then hacking it apart with his sword. The appendage dropped to the icy ground and melted away.

The Wizzrobe advanced on Link while it was taking arrows in its back from Zelda. It then grew another appendage and very nearly caught Link off guard. He used his shield to block the attack but the sheer force sent him crashing into the wall. The impact knocked Link out and left him at the mercy of the Wizzrobe, which was preparing to unleash more of his icy breath. Zelda intervene with another barrage of arrows until she eventually ran out. Desperate, she took the more direct approach, using her bow as a weapon against the creature.

Zelda swung the bow wildly and heard it crack against the frozen form of the Wizzrobe. She was suddenly caught off guard when the Wizzrobe unleashed its ice breath right in the left side of her face. In an instant, her skin turned a pale blue and her left eye became bloodshot as she collapsed to the ground. The Wizzrobe noticed Rutela looking for a way to get to Zelda and advanced on her, but Link recovered and attacked a renew vigor. He relentlessly hacked and slashed at the creature, cutting it apart piece by piece until he finally severed its head. The Wizzrobe seemed to evaporate into nothing and left the group to recover.

"Well, now we know what the Wizzrobe looks like." Link mused while Spryte fluttered back into view.

Spryte was visibly shaken by the sight of the creature and replied, "Not sure I want to deal with that again."

"You won't have a choice," Rutela stated. "You merely slowed it down, not stopped it. Next time, I suggest you make effective use of that blue fire if you want to survive."

"I'll keep that in mind," Link quipped before he turned to see Zelda trying and failing to stand. He rushed to her and caught her before she collapsed onto the ground again. That was when he noticed the pale blue hue on her face. "Zelda?! Zelda, talk to me." he said and tapped her face, feeling the sudden, stinging chill.

"C-cold. So…cold… can't feel…" Zelda murmured as her body shivered violently.

Link touched her face again and felt the chill growing colder by the second. "She's freezing. What'd that thing do to her?"

Rutela touched her hands to the pale skin. "It's as I feared," she said. "The creature's breath is causing her body to freeze little by little. Over time, her body will grow colder and colder until she eventually succumbs to the cold." Rutela then grabbed the bottle of blue fire from Link's satchel.

"What're you doing?" Link asked.

"The blue fire can slow the process," Rutela took a small glint of blue flame in her palm and quickly placed it atop Zelda's forehead. In an instant, Zelda appeared to improve and her pale skin returned to its normal shade, but she couldn't speak. "But, we must return to my domain if we hope to help her."

Link understood well enough to pick Zelda up in his arms. She was still shivering but not as much as she was moments ago. Then she gazed into his eyes, and Link saw that they were almost completely bloodshot. Her breathing was shallow and her body was shaking, but she at least had enough wherewithal to wrap her arms around Link. There was no guarantee that it would help to keep her warm or even stem the encroaching feeling of bitter cold, but it was better than freezing to death right then and there. With Rutela leading the way, Link carried Zelda back out the way they came. He hoped they wouldn't run into the Wizzrobe again since he wasn't sure if he could hold it off without Zelda.

Halfway to their destination, Rutela suddenly stopped short and Link almost ran into her. Standing several feet in front of them was Mikau, spear in hand. "Mikau," Rutela exclaimed. "I ordered you to remain behind and seek out the traitor among our people."

"I already have, Rutela," he said ominously and raised his spear. "I'm afraid the traitor here is _you_."

Rutela stood utterly astonished while Link kept Zelda in his arm without taking his own eyes of Mikau. _How did we not see this coming?_

* * *

Author's note: Thanks as always to **Moon13Dreams** for the assist in betareading.

This chapter took some time to get right, particularly in regards to the Wizzrobe battle since we tried to make it believable. Shapeshifting was considered but ultimately was deemed too much. Its ice breath was made to effect Zelda in a way that put her in some form of danger with killing her outright.

The blue fire in a bottle was a reference to an item in the games, of course.

I wish I could've done more with Mikau at the end but I kind of got a bit lazy, and it wound being somewhat predictable. Oh well!

I'd be nice to get some reviews, preferably no flames.


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